The Taste of Revenge
by Naisa
Summary: Part 2 in Spices Trilogy. Feu is alive but for how long will peace and happiness last in Camelot as old and new enemies return to threaten lives and reveal secrets? AU, contains spoilers for series 3.
1. Chapter 1

_The prologue/first chapter of The Taste of Revenge, the sequel to the Smell of Spices, hope you enjoy! _

_It's quire short, but it is only a prologue. If it confuses you, it's meant to so don't worry about it, if you haven't read my story The Smell of Spices, this story will confuse you even more! Anyway, hope you like, reviews much appreciated (:_

Chapter 1

Darkness settles all around, like a terrible, thick layer of dust. In hangs in the air, reaching every corner. The forest seems to fall strangely silent, as if it is waiting for the night to pass. It is so silent, no one would think there was another living creature around, but there was one.

Samar didn't mind how he was surrounded by complete darkness of the night, he liked it, he felt most comfortable when he was lurking in the shadows. The darkness even matched the colour of his eyes and his hair. If anyone saw the spark dancing in his eyes through the darkness, they had a right to be afraid. Samar smiled at the thought, he liked plunging people into living nightmares, and sometimes he let them live just so he could laugh at them when they ran screaming. Samar didn't mind being alone either, he liked being a solitary creature hiding away, sitting in the darkness alone suited his personality. Samar smiled darkly as his dark thoughts.

But some things just weren't the same any more; Samar missed the times where he could do whatever he wanted. He was ancient now, even though he only looked as if he was in his early thirties, but most of the change he had seen had only happened in the past twenty years. Suddenly_ he_ should be the one who felt afraid; suddenly _he_ was the potential victim. Suddenly Samar no longer felt immortal and suddenly it was not a choice to travel around, it was a necessity. This Samar did not like. He felt like he was under someone's control, and this he hated.

Lingering beneath the trees of the forest with nowhere to go, it was a terrible way to spend the night when he could be running through the trees, the wind in his face, using his magic, or causing some other sort of trouble. But instead Samar found himself doing nothing, just sitting in the darkness, waiting for a hunter to cross his path and mistake him for a deer, or see him for what he really was, and try to shoot. But the forests around Camelot were silent this night; Samar assumed that there was probably another curfew on. The forests on the outskirts of Camelot was about as far as Samar dared to go when it came to Camelot, because the people there did not fear his kind, they hated it.

With a deep sigh that sounded more like a frustrated grunt, Samar rubbed his face with his hands, as if he was trying to keep himself awake. He looked down at his hands; he could just see them through the darkness, and gazed at the two missing fingers on his right hand. That was another thing that had changed over the twenty years, and it was the first time he had ever been injured because of something he tried to do, it was the first time he had failed. The very memory made Samar feel furious.

Samar ran his hands through his sleek black hair, something he always did when he was trying to control his anger. He gazed turned to the distant flickering lights of Camelot, and suddenly Samar felt himself smiling.

Samar was not a Seer, but his father was distantly related to one, and sometimes he felt a small amount of this power bubbling beneath his skin. He was feeling it now. Change was coming, and this time it was going to be for his benefit, like the good old days. Samar grinned, showing the world his pearl-white teeth, how long had he been waiting for the taste of revenge? And it seemed the time had finally come. But he had to be patient, he was not needed yet.

With another horrible smile, Samar turned his attention to Camelot.


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello my marvellous readers, so glad you're not sick of me yet, because there is lots more to come! (:_

_This chapter takes place around the same time as the last chapter of The Smell of Spices, but in the point of view of someone else. Please review, because the English weather is rubbish and my hands are so cold they hurt! ):_

Chapter 2

Feu was dying, she knew she was. When the time came, she thought she would be terrified, facing the mysterious after life, which could be anything, or nothing. The very thought used to fill Feu with fear, but now the time had come, she felt quite calm, relaxed even. Death was surprisingly peaceful.

As soon as the Opinicus had crashed to the ground, Feu knew her job was done, and that her body was probably damaged beyond repair. Her heart was already beginning to give up as she fled the stinking corpse of the great bird and collapsed onto the soft grass. Feu lay there, with her eyes closed, shutting off her tired senses from the rest of the world as she waited for her life to come to an end. But time ticked by, and Feu found that she was still breathing.

With what felt like great effort, Feu's eyes suddenly snapped open. She was in the same place she was when she had fallen to the ground, surrounded by tall grass soaked with her own blood. She could almost smell her own scent there was so much of it hanging in the air. Her body felt numb and cold, Feu knew the end would come soon, but she felt like she had been thinking that same thought for hours now, and yet she was still on this world. Was this some sort of punishment for all the bad things she had done in her life? Was the world purposefully dragging out her last few moments of life?

Feu gazed up at the sky, the stars were so beautiful, she would miss the way they twinkled against the black night. As she watched them, they glittered and danced before her eyes, they even started to move.

_Oh great,_ thought Feu's tired but still sarcastic mind as she watched them. _I'm beginning to hallucinate now._

The stars were certainly beginning to move across the sky now; they were forming shapes, patterns in the sky. Feu could see something forming before her eyes that she knew well, a face carved out of the stars.

Merlin's face.

It was then that Feu suddenly worked out the reason why she wasn't dead yet. It was because if she left this world she would never see Merlin again. Just the thought of this happening made her very body seem to fight against death.

_Merlin!_ Feu thought to herself, she suddenly felt so angry she almost shouted the name out loud. _That stupid good-for-nothing…_but Feu stopped herself. It wasn't Merlin's fault that she was still living, that she couldn't die. It was her fault; she should have never become attached to the people who would ultimately lead her to her death. Feu had expected her own death as the outcome of her rescuers, but she had never expected to fall in love.

Hang on, what did she just call the people who brought her to this place to die? Rescuers? Yes, because after all that had happened in her journey out of the dark forest, there were times that she had smiled, that she had laughed and that she had never felt so happy in a long time. Feu had almost forgotten that she was going to die because of them. But now her rescuers seemed to have gone one step further, a step not even the Seer had seen. They were keeping her alive.

Suddenly, Feu decided she didn't want to die. She had done enough waiting around for the end to come, and now her body was battling against it, and if her weak body could, so could her mind. Her eyes narrowed with determination as slowly and carefully, Feu pulled herself off the ground.

Her body was still numb; Feu couldn't even feel the grass under her fingertips, or the breeze that gently curled around her hair. But she was still alive, and if she stayed alive, feeling would come back to her and she might just have the energy to smile again.

When Feu stood, it felt like the first time she had done such a thing, her body was unsteady, but her mind was clear. She knew what her aim was. Feu wasn't exactly sure which direction was Camelot, but she would soon find her way, she had a good sense of direction, and even if her mind wasn't sure, her heart would know. Feu set off unsteadily across the field.

By the time Feu had reached Camelot, morning had come along with the shining sun and life was beginning to emerge from the houses around. The people seemed surprised that no more damage had been done overnight, or perhaps they weren't as they had already been told that the Opinicus will soon be no more. The people took this opportunity to step outside into the growing sunlight, get ready their market stools, chat with their neighbours and begin to fix any damage the Opinicus might have caused over the weeks. No one seemed to notice a mysterious looking girl walking through the steadily growing crowd, her clothes torn and bloodstained, eyes hard as rock as she desperately tried to mask a limp in her right leg, ignore any pains and try to find her way through Camelot.

Feu knew it wouldn't be long before people started taking an interest in her and start to question what had happened to her, so she quickly thought of something that would perhaps hide her injuries from the world. She saw a dark blue cloak hanging up on a market stool nearby and, after making sure no one was looking in her direction, swiftly took it from the stool and wrapped herself in it. Feu was glad that there was a hood, she pulled it up over her head and continued walking, her head down. People may still look curiously at her, but they won't realise what a state Feu was in underneath the cloak, or who she might be.

After what felt like hours of walking, Feu suddenly found herself at the foot of the castle. Her brain felt like it was filled with fog, she was exhausted and was finding it hard to mask the pain that resonated throughout her body, but Feu could remember which direction she needed to go to reach Gaius' chambers. Feu walked past the guards as quickly as possible, still trying to hide her face from them but at the same time try to not look suspicious. She was relieved when they didn't react to this strange, cloaked person.

Finally, Feu reached Gaius' chambers, where she knew Merlin would be. Without bothering to knock, Feu opened the door and hurried through Gaius' chambers, which were empty, and went straight to Merlin's. She paused at the door, wondering what to do, she could almost sense Merlin's presence behind the door and suddenly became desperate to see him, but at the same time nervous. Gently, Feu pushed Merlin's door, and it opened with a quiet creak.

Merlin was sitting there, alone, on his bed. His back was to the door and his head was lowered; he didn't turn around as the door opened. Feu took a few tentative steps towards him, and then stopped. Merlin still hadn't moved, he hadn't even looked up.

For a few moments Feu became worried, why hadn't Merlin turned around yet? Did Merlin not care if she was alive? Was he not as upset as she had thought? Perhaps he had already moved on from his loss, he must have faced many heartaches in his life, he was probably used to it by now.

These thoughts deeply upset Feu, she thought he would at least care a little bit about her. But then she convinced herself it as just her tired, paranoid mind because she couldn't turn around and walk away now.

It was then Feu realised that she was still standing behind Merlin, and that he probably hadn't reacted because he didn't know where was anyone standing behind him; she hadn't even said anything. She had to say something.

Feu stepped a little closer, before she finally spoke:

"Hello Merlin, did you miss me?"

Merlin turned around.

The expressions that appeared on Merlin's face as he looked up at Feu were a whole mixture of different emotions that changed within seconds. From shock, to fear, to relief, to shock again, to worry, to astonishment, to hope, and then finally happiness. He stood up slowly and approached her.

"Feu?" He asked in a quiet voice, as if he wasn't quite sure if this was a dream or not.

Feu nodded, when she had spoken, her voice had been a mixture of confidence and exhaustion, but she certainly didn't look very confident. Merlin had never seen anyone look so pale, her eyes were tired and blood stained her hair. Feu was wearing a long, dark blue cloak, but Merlin hated to think what injuries might lie under them, Feu was still bleeding, as blood dripped from the edge of the cloak. Merlin was so surprised, relieved and worried at the same time, he couldn't think of much to say. He simply stared at Feu, who stared back at him.

"You're back." He said finally, smiling broadly, tears filling his eyes at the same time as he looked down at her.

"Yes Merlin, I'm back," Feu murmured, smiling weakly, closing her eyes and leaning gently against Merlin. She was glad to be safe in his warm arms again, and she felt like she could hardly support herself any more.

"How—" Merlin began. But he hardly had time to finish his sentence, as just then the door swung open.

"Merlin?" Arthur appeared in the doorway, he looked like he was about to say something, but the sight of Feu caused his eyes to widen, his jaw to drop, and his mind to go blank.

Feu turned around and looked at Arthur's astonished face, but she had moved too quickly. As soon as she did so the world suddenly started to blur and spin, Arthur's face and the room suddenly disappeared. Feu found she could no longer stand up any more, but Merlin caught her in his arms before she fell to floor and the darkness took over her mind.


	3. Chapter 3

_I was going to update yesterday, but I ended up watching Saturday's episode of Merlin instead… it was epic! :D You'll have to forgive me for the slight delayed update by reviewing, hehe! (:_

Chapter 3

Arthur had been on his way to talk to Merlin about what had happened the night before about Feu's death and their argument. He hadn't meant to make things worse for Merlin, he was only trying to protect his friend from walking into potential danger, or tripping over the body of the one he loved. Arthur pushed the terrible image out of his mind as he thought this, and focused instead on what he could say to comfort his manservant.

But how do you comfort a friend who has just lost a piece of their heart?

Arthur hadn't been sure of what he was going to say or what he was going to find when he got to Merlin's chambers, but he certainly wasn't expecting what he was going to find. As he advanced towards Merlin's chambers, he could hear quiet murmuring from the other side of the door. Arthur hesitated for a few moments before he entered, wondering whether he should disturb whoever was in there, before doing what he constantly told Merlin not to do, and walked straight in without knocking.

"Merlin?" Arthur said quietly.

That was all Arthur managed to say, because his eyes suddenly laid upon Merlin, supporting the weak looking but very much alive, Feu. Seeing this, Arthur couldn't do much but stand there, jaw dropping and eyes widening. Feu turned and took one, exhausted look at him, before her bleary eyes closed, and suddenly she collapsed.

Her sudden collapse brought both men by surprise, but Merlin managed to catch her gently in his arms before she fell to the floor. Arthur couldn't help rushing over just in case he missed.

"What happened?" Arthur managed to ask after a few moments, looking down at the unconscious face of Feu with almost panicked eyes. One minute Feu was awake and standing, the next moment she was unconscious and had almost fallen to the ground. Arthur was relieved to see that she was still breathing.

In fact, Arthur was a lot more relieved to see Feu than he would have imagined.

Arthur had to agree that he had never got a long well with Feu from the start, but by the end he had certainly considered her as a friend, or at least a good person, a hero even. But this still didn't explain his reaction, which he was relieved Merlin couldn't see. Perhaps it was just from shock of seeing her again so soon and so suddenly, but Arthur felt as if his heart had almost leapt out of his chest just at the sight of Feu being alive, and this hadn't happened to him before. This concerned Arthur to a point that it was almost frightening, but he wasn't sure why.

"I don't know," Merlin admitted, but there was a broad grin on his face as his eyes were filling with tears for joy. "But she's alive Arthur! She came back!"

"I'd better go and get Gaius," Arthur said hastily, turning and almost running out the chambers.

Merlin didn't look up at Arthur as he left; he just stared down at the sleeping face of Feu.

"It's going to be all right Feu," he told her gently, stroking her pale face. "You're safe now."

Gaius checked Feu over carefully as she lay on Merlin's bed. There was a peaceful, almost happy expression on her face as she slept, but Gaius' face was full of concern.

Now Feu's cloak had been removed and she had been moved into some better light, the full extent of her injuries could be seen. There was a huge, claw-shaped gash across her stomach where the creature had swiped at her, but fortunately it wasn't too deep. Feu's body was covered in scratches from where the Opinicus had attacked her, and where she had fallen from the sky, especially on the back of her shoulders. Some wounds would heal quickly; others would remain scars for life. There were two wounds on Feu's head still oozing blood, and how she had managed to reach Camelot with such a horrible looking bite on her upper leg Gaius would never know. These wounds didn't worry him though; it was the wounds that he couldn't see, the internal damage, that he was most concerned about.

Arthur stood beside Gaius, watching everything he did, while Merlin sat on a chair next to Feu's bed, holding her hand gently. The silence filling the room was beginning to feel like torture. In the end, Merlin spoke.

"Is she going to be all right?" He asked Gaius hopefully, once he had finished examining Feu.

"Does are quick healers," Gaius explained, concern still clear on his face, "and Feu is strong. She should live, but it's hard to be sure. I have medicines that will help her wounds heal without risk of infection and dull any pain."

"Is there anything we can do right now to help her?" Merlin asked.

"Just let her sleep for now, the poor girl's probably exhausted from walking all the way here with these wounds. She needs to get some of her energy back, that will help her to heal and recover."

"What are the chances she'll make a full recovery?" Arthur asked Gaius in a quiet voice, leading him slightly away from Feu and Merlin, he didn't want the concern and doubt in his voice to upset Merlin.

"It's hard to tell, I think she has a good chance, but I wouldn't keep your hopes too high, she's lost a lot of blood and I can't be sure of the true damage that's been done for a few more days." Gaius gave a small smile as he looked back at Merlin, who was still holding Feu's hand, "she has a good carer, I think she'll be all right."

Shortly after that, Gaius had to leave again, as he had to see the King. He promised that he would return as swiftly as possible, and if Feu woke up to give her medicine and try to keep her in bed. He advised someone to stay with her at all times. After Gaius had left his chambers, Arthur and Merlin were left alone with a sleeping Feu, and silence fell again.

Arthur watched Merlin sit with Feu, murmuring comforting words to her, just in case she could hear, and trying to make her as comfortable as possible in his bed. After a few moments Arthur spoke:

"You can take a couple of days off if you need to," he told Merlin.

"What?" Merlin seemed surprised by this sudden mention about his work by Arthur, and was even more surprised he was being offered days off.

"Well you're going to want to stay with her, and someone needs to be with her at all times. I'm happy to let you take a few days off so you can look after her." Arthur explained.

"Are you sure?" Merlin couldn't help a smile breaking out over his face as he said this.

Arthur shrugged as if it didn't really mean anything. "I can see how much she means to you, and how much you must mean to her if she's willing to walk all the way back to Camelot just to see you. I understand if you need to take a break from work for a few days."

"Thank you Arthur."

"It's no problem, just make sure no one else knows that I'm being nice to my manservant."

This made Merlin laugh. It was then that he realised what a good friend Arthur was, allowing him days off so he could be with Feu, and making him laugh when a few hours ago he had been in complete despair.

"But whose going to clean your chambers while I'm gone?" Merlin asked, a grin on his face, as he had a feeling he knew what Arthur was going to say.

"You don't clean my chambers anyway." Yep, exactly what he would say. This made Merlin laugh again. "Give her my best when she wakes up," Arthur said, suddenly serious again.

"Of course," there was a pause. "Arthur?"

"Yes?" Arthur said slowly, he was on his way out of Merlin's chambers, but just stopped at the door and turned back to his friend.

"Do you think she's going to be all right?"

There was a horrible pause, but Arthur knew that he had to be honest. "All we can do is hope Merlin," was all he said, before leaving the chambers.


	4. Chapter 4

_You've probably noticed, or perhaps you haven't, that I've put alternate universe (AU) on the summary of The Taste of Revenge. This is because in this story I've changed or manipulated storylines of the Merlin TV series for my own gains (which makes me sounds evil…muhahahaa) and also it's obvious that Feu doesn't exist in the actual show (but it would be awesome if she was! :D) This chapter there is a good example of this, so I hope you're OK with it, if not tough! (a little more of my evil coming out there! :D ) and I should also warn you that a series 3 spoiler is coming up!_

_While I'm on the subject of AU, I would also like to say that Arthur has no CURRENT feelings for Gwen. This will be a bit more important in the story later on, and I'm not saying that Gwen doesn't have feelings for Arthur…_

_Anyway, that's all I think I have to say. Sorry this chapter's a bit short, let's just say it's help build suspense! Haha. Please review (:_

Chapter 4

Two days passed, and Feu did little but sleep silently, with Merlin by her side. He thought he could see her wounds slowly heal as the sun shone down on her, but dismissed it as his own imagination. After the two days, it wasn't surprising that Merlin was desperate for some sort of change.

Eventually, change did happen in Camelot, but it was not the change he would have wanted.

The change came stumbling out of the darkness, pretending to be filled with fear while a plan lay already sketched out in its mind. The change brought more celebrations in the City than when the Opinicus was slain, and for the first time in months, Uther smiled as the change strolled into his presence. He assumed that the change was smiling with relief, not with contempt as evil boiled beneath its veins.

Only one person grew worried when he heard of the change. Merlin looked nervously up at Gaius and went slightly pale when he was told the news.

Morgana had returned to Camelot.

The great oak doors of the Great Hall swung open. Uther looked up from his thrown, he was tense and uneasy, but as soon as he saw who had entered the room, he relaxed immediately, and you could almost see the relief that washed over his face. This was the very person he had wanted to see for almost a year.

"Morgana." Uther beamed, stretching his arms out towards the young woman as she strolled across the Great Hall, which was no longer filled with victims from the Opinicus. Morgana smiled back and quickened her pace so she could reach Uther sooner.

"My Lord," she said in a quiet voice, as if she was struggling to hold back some sort of emotion. Uther assumed that the emotion was the relief of finally to be back in Camelot, he would have never guessed that she was trying to hold back anger and hatred.

"Words can't describe how pleased I am to see you again," Uther admitted, not sure what else to say as a wave of different emotions washed over him, emotions that Morgana thought the man never had – gladness, regret, even sorrow.

"Neither can mine My Lord," Morgana said, smiling almost as widely as him, although it didn't quite reach her eyes. Uther didn't notice.

"I thought I would never see you again," Uther's relief to see Morgana again brought tears to his eyes. He drew her into a tight embrace.

Morgana hugged him back, but when she replied her voice was suddenly stern. "I didn't realise me being gone would cause you such pain," she told him.

"What do you mean?" Uther detected the sudden change in her voice, and became concerned.

"Forgive me my Lord, but I thought I had disappointed you, I thought you would not care if I disappeared." This was not true, if Morgana knew that her disappearance would not have affected Uther at all, she would not have bothered to come back.

"Oh Morgana, you must forgive me." Uther told her, tears building up in his eyes once more.

Morgana drew away from Uther embrace, but kept her hands in his, she pretended not to understand what Uther was apologising for. She allowed a tear to fall freely down her cheek, it was hot with her anger, but she knew that Uther would think she was sad, and this would bring his sadness forth too.

"I never meant to make you feel as if you have disappointed me, I never meant for you to think that I never loved you. I have mistreated you over the past few years, and for that I am truly sorry. From now on, I shall treat you like I should have always done. I have not felt such regret when you were taken from me." Uther confessed, the sight of Morgana crying made his heart sink with sadness, and he couldn't help but join her in her tears.

"But my Lord, I am the one to apologise. I have not been treating you with the respect and gratitude you deserve. From now on, that is going to change." Morgana told him.

Uther smiled through his tears as she said this, and kissed her hand. Little did he know how much would change now Morgana returned.

After the private meeting with Uther, Morgana went to talk to Arthur. She told him everything that had happened while the soldiers had been searching for her, and she asked for nothing but Arthur to listen to her tale. But she did request one, small thing.

She wanted to see Merlin.


	5. Chapter 5

_Updating earlier than expected today…because good old snow closed the school! :D Fortunately, this chapter doesn't contain someone jumping around the kitchen singing (that was me this morning XD). _

_It's quite a serious chapter, but I hope you like it (: reviews will cheer up the snowman outside which has been destroyed by the snow (ironic isn't it?)_

Chapter 5

Darkness, nothing but the darkness of the night. Tumbling through the black air, the screams on the Opinicus radiating out across the empty land. All emotions drained from her soul, only acceptance left. Acceptance that this was going to be the end as she plummeted towards the ground...

Feu's eyes snapped open, her pupils wide with fear, before shrinking in the bright light. For a moment she was still in the dream, and her senses were dead. Panic washed over Feu as she realised that she couldn't see, she couldn't hear, she couldn't feel, she couldn't speak. Was she dead? But then reality came to her again and she saw the room she was in, she could hear a bird singing out the window and she could feel that she was lying on a bed for the first time in years. If her mind still hadn't been in a complete panic, she would have said something as well.

The trouble was, Feu couldn't remember how she had got to this room, she couldn't make the connection with where she was and the dream she had just had, the dream was so real she knew it wasn't a dream. It was a memory.

Feu sat up, far too quickly and before she remembered that she had suffered injuries. Pain washed over her, all sorts of different pain, dull and lingering, sharp and stabbing, burning and stinging. Her head wasn't ready for the sudden movement and the whole world blurred Feu's sharp intake of breath brought Gaius to her attention.

Gaius had been preoccupied with a book when Feu had woken up, but when he heard her gasp and saw the panic in her eyes, he jumped out of his chair to try and offer her some comfort, but she didn't seem to notice. Feu was already sitting up and trying to stand up, Gaius did his best to try and stop her.

"Feu are you all right?" He asked quickly, wondering why Feu had jumped up so suddenly and was looking wildly around, her eyes screwing up as another wave of pain hit her.

"Gaius?" Feu sounded relieved to see him, but her eyes were still wide and wild.

"Yes, it's me," Gaius said gently, slightly surprised when Feu hugged him, but supposed that she was looking desperately for some sort of comfort.

"Where am I?" Feu asked quietly after a few moments.

"Don't you remember?"

Feu shook her head.

"You're in Camelot, you're safe. You fought with the Opinicus, you won but you have suffered a lot of injuries. Which is why you shouldn't be up and about, you should be in bed."

It seemed that after the words 'Camelot' Feu had stopped listening, she gazed around the room as if she had never seen it before. "Where's Merlin?" She asked quietly and hurriedly.

"He's gone to see someone, but he'll be back soon." Gaius told her gently, "I suggest you rest, you need it, and you don't want to make yourself worse. You'll worry Merlin if he sees you're up and about so suddenly."

But still Feu wasn't listening. "Who's he gone to see?" She asked.

"Just the Lady Morgana."

As soon as Gaius had said this, he regretted uttering a word. He had no idea that Feu knew anything about Morgana, but it seemed obvious that she did, as suddenly she began to panic even more. Her breathing became sharper, her eyes wider, and she drew her hands to her head, looking as if she wanted to pull out her hair.

"I knew it," Feu croaked, her voice steadily rising, almost into a scream. "I knew something was wrong. Something is very wrong!"

"Feu calm down, nothing's wrong," Gaius told her, trying to comfort her once more, but to no avail.

Feu began to pace, up and down the room, ignoring the pain that shattered through her at every step she took, and not caring to notice that she was limping badly. Her confused mind was racing.

"Something is wrong Gaius! Can't you sense it!"

"Feu please—"

"No! I won't calm down; I won't get back into bed! She shouldn't be here! She's not meant to be here!" Feu continued in a shout. Gaius knew she was talking about Morgana, but he didn't understand what she meant by this. "I need to know what's going on, Merlin's in trouble, he shouldn't be with her—"

"What's going on?" Said a quiet voice from the entrance of the chambers.

Gaius and Feu turned to see Merlin standing there, whatever trouble Feu thought Merlin was in, he certainly didn't look like he was in any danger. He just looked worried and confused about why Feu was suddenly awake, up and panicking about something.

"Merlin," Feu rushed towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She put her head against his chest so she could hear his beating heart and his warmth. "I had a nightmare," she said in a voice no louder than a whisper.

"I leave you for five minutes and you're running around my chambers," Merlin tried to joke, but he sounded worried, and Feu wasn't in the mood for anything funny.

"She's back isn't she?" Feu said, looking up into Merlin's eyes.

"Who's back?"

"You know who I mean, you've been to speak to her, Gaius told me, and you smell a bit like her. She's bad Merlin, very bad, worse than before. Nothing good will come out of this." Feu told him. She didn't see the expression of slight confusion, worry and fear Merlin gave Gaius. He looked down at Feu again and smiled.

"Everything's going to be fine Feu, we're all safe for now and we have nothing to fear. Trust me, I won't let anything bad happen." Merlin told her calmly and gently. "But you're still hurt, you need to get some rest, Gaius and I will always be here to look after you for whenever you wake up. Nothing bad is going to happen."

Feu nodded, but she didn't look convinced. She didn't argue about getting some sleep, as only being awake for a few moments seemed to have made her exhausted. She went back to bed without complaint.

Feu stayed awake long enough to make sure Merlin promised to stay with her again, before she fell into a more peaceful sleep. Merlin kept his promise, sitting beside her and brushing her hair gently out of her face whenever it fell over her eyes. A flickering smile seemed to appear on Feu's face at his touch.

Gaius made sure Feu was not going to wake up again for a while before he asked Merlin the question that had been plaguing his mind as soon as he had entered the chambers.

"What did Lady Morgana say to you?" He asked.

Merlin let out a deep sigh, which seemed to be of relief than anything else. "I don't think she's going to tell anyone that I poisoned her, she's forgiven me, and asked _me _for forgiveness after what she had done!"

The tone on Merlin's voice showed that this was not the response he had been expecting from Morgana. He remembered her pale face just a few moments ago and her dark, innocent eyes fill with tears as she looked up at him. She promised him that she had changed, she wasn't going to try and more evil tricks. Her voice cracked as she begged for a servant's, a murderer's, forgiveness.

"But I'm still not sure if I can trust her," Merlin continued as he looked back down at Feu's face.

"How did Feu know about Morgana?"

"I told her about her, and she sort of…worked out that Morgana was bad news," Merlin explained, he decided not to tell Gaius that he had seen her in the Dark Forest, but he wasn't sure why.

"And she certainly still seems to believe so," Gaius said with a sigh, "she was very distressed when she woke up and realised you were with Morgana."

"What do you think that means?" Merlin asked Gaius nervously. He was trying to convince himself that Morgana had changed for the better, but something at the back of his head told him that he shouldn't abandon all suspicion, and Feu's distress at the news Morgana was back made his worries worse.

"Well," Gaius thought for a few moments, his concerned eyes on Feu, but a comforting hand on Merlin's shoulder. "I think we should wait, perhaps Morgana has changed her dark ways, but I must admit I would listen to Feu more than I would listen to Lady Morgana, Feu is someone we can rely on."

Merlin nodded, knowing that Gaius was right, he just hoped that Feu was wrong. A few moments of silence passed before Gaius spoke again.

"Does Uther know that Feu is still alive?" He asked.

Merlin shrugged, "he hasn't asked anyone, he doesn't know she's here. He's probably assumed that she died, he's more focused on the fact that Morgana's returned at the moment."

Gaius nodded in agreement, "and I think, at least for now, we should keep it that way. I doubt Morgana knows about her either, which is perhaps a good thing too."

"I suppose," Merlin mumbled. "It's the best thing to keep her out the way, especially for now, but hopefully she'll be up and about soon." He said, smiling with hope.

Gaius nodded, but said nothing. He didn't want to tell Merlin what was worrying him most about Feu. As he left Merlin to look after Feu, the images of her distressed face, her wild eyes and the strange questions she asked, were still clear in his mind. Gaius couldn't help but sigh sadly. He was worried that it was the injuries he couldn't see on Feu that would be the worse, but he hadn't really considered what seemed to be happening with Feu now, perhaps it was because he didn't want to. Gaius was a good physician, and Merlin a powerful sorcerer, but there would be nothing either of them could do if it turned out Feu had brain damage.


	6. Chapter 6

_School is closed again today! So here's another quick update before homework falls on top of me again like a pile of bricks! (:_

_I wrote this chapter to give some idea that time has past from the last one, and also because I wanted this conversation between the two people in this chapter to happen, but I wasn't sure when. I'm afraid that there's a lot of dialogue, and it's not the best chapter in the world, it wasn't the easiest to write either, but I hope it will be OK. Reviews much appreciated (:_

Chapter 6

Arthur stepped into Merlin's chambers, which were so silent he thought they were drained of life. As he opened the door (once again, without knocking) a thin ray of sunlight broke out through the crack and laid itself across the chamber, shining on the face of an motionless figure sitting in a wooden chair beside the bed.

When Feu felt the warmth of the sun on her face, she opened her eyes and looked across the room at Arthur, who stood there watching her. The way Feu sat in the chair, gave Arthur a feeling that it should be a thrown, and even in her sickly state, Feu's eyes gave the feeling that someone very powerful was staring into his very soul. Arthur shook this feeling off, but still stood motionless in the doorway as Feu watched him. Finally, she spoke,

"Hello Arthur," her voice was quiet and seemed to drift across the chamber, a smile flickered upon her tired face. "How nice of you to come and visit me, I wondered when you would. It's been a week."

"Sorry," Arthur muttered, though he and Feu knew she hadn't been expecting him to come. "I've been busy." He explained.

"I'm sure," another flickering smile, but Arthur wasn't quite sure why Feu was smiling, did she think that he had been trying not to see her? "Well, aren't you going to ask how I am?" Feu asked suddenly in the silence that fell.

"I suppose so," Arthur coughed, "how are you?"

"Surprisingly well for someone who almost died from fighting an Opinicus," Feu's voice was light hearted, but her words were serious. She smiled again, but it seemed more false this time.

"It must have been scary."

"Never felt so afraid in my life," Feu admitted. "But it's not like you to sound so modest Arthur, I bet you've had some trouble before like this?"

"Well," Arthur paused, "I did fight a dragon once."

"Is that all?" Feu laughed, she hadn't expected Arthur to be _that_ modest, she didn't even know that dragons existed any more. "Camelot can defend themselves against a great dragon, but not against a usually harmless Opinicus. Isn't it strange when the wren turns as deadly as the eagle*?" She said.

Arthur wasn't sure what to say to this, and Feu probably didn't want to think about the Opinicus any more, so he decided to change the subject. "Have you seen Merlin around?"

"I thought he was cleaning out you're chambers," Feu told him, "and the way he moans about them all the time, it sounds like he has to do it quite often. They sound worse than his." She smiled again, glancing around the room. When she turned her attention back to Arthur, her eyes narrowed slightly with suspicion. "You should know that."

"I suppose so," Arthur said slowly.

"That's the only reason you came here, to ask this question, but why would you ask me something that you already knew the answer to?"

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Arthur asked, changing the subject quickly again. He didn't want Feu to know that the only reason for him coming here was to see how she was, nothing else. He also asked it because all Gaius and Merlin had said about Feu when he had asked her well being was that she was in bed, probably asleep.

"I'm close enough," Feu muttered, looking down at the bed beside her, the amusement in her face and voice suddenly gone. She turned her nose up at the bed as if it had some sort of unpleasant smell (which it hadn't). "So what's been keeping you busy?" It was Feu's turn to change the subject.

"Being a Prince and a Knight of Camelot can leave you with plenty of things to do," Arthur explained. The look of his face told Feu that sometimes he didn't like being so busy, he didn't like being a Prince or a Knight of Camelot.

"And of course you've got Morgana to look after now," Feu added. "I'm sure Uther wants lots of celebrations on her safe return."

"How did you know?"

Feu laughed at the way the colour seemed to drain out of Arthur's face when she mentioned Morgana. She briefly considered scaring him more by telling him that she could read people's minds, but decided that this perhaps was a little too cruel. Arthur glowered when she laughed at him, but then suddenly Feu grew very serious.

"She's trouble Arthur,"

"What?"

"Morgana. Beware Arthur, she's trouble."

"I don't know what you're talking about Feu, there's nothing wrong with Morgana." Arthur told Feu, he couldn't understand where she had got such an idea from. After all Morgana had been through, she didn't deserve to be judged in such a way by someone who barely knew who she was.

Feu didn't seem to see Arthur's point of view either, as her eyes narrowed. "Never mind then, I didn't expect you to listen."

"I am listening," Arthur told her, "I just don't believe you."

Feu couldn't lose this obvious opportunity to tease Arthur; she tried to conceal her smile. "In that case you're just stupid."

Arthur caught the smile on her face, and glowered. "You're obviously feeling better," he mumbled.

Arthur would have perhaps sounded a little more relieved if Feu wasn't irritating him already. He would have also been surprised if Gaius had told him the way Feu reacted the last time she woke up. However, this time Feu could remember everything that had happened, and she was no longer panicking even though Morgana had returned. Her wounds were healing quickly and with little complications thanks to all the horrible smelling remedies Gaius had given her, and the magical spells Merlin had whispered in her ear when no one was watching. Despite this, Feu was not fully back to health, and she was reminded of this when the laughter made her lungs ache and she tried desperately to conceal her yawn that was growing in her throat. Unfortunately, Arthur noticed.

"Well, perhaps I should leave you to get some sleep now," he said, turning to leave Feu in piece.

This was not a good thing to say.

"I don't want sleep!" Feu snapped suddenly before Arthur managed to leave the chambers. "I don't want to stay in bed any more, to rest." she jumped out of the chair and began pacing up and down restlessly. For the first time since she had fought the Opinicus, her eyes flashed green, but it was only for a few moments, and they turned back to their normal blue within seconds. "That's all people are telling me to do, but my species aren't meant to lie around all day, humans maybe, but not a Doe! Can't I just run around and be active, like I'm meant to? I'm not sick!"

Just as Feu said this, her pacing became too much for her, and she became dizzy. The world blurred and swam for a few moments as Feu stumbled, trying to find her balance. Arthur reached out, just in case she fell, but Feu managed to catch herself on the wooden chair and steady herself as the world returned.

"Besides," Feu gasped, surprised by how she had suddenly become so dizzy, or perhaps she had just tired herself out so much she was out of breath. A headache was beginning to bubble into life in the temple. "I can't sleep when Merlin's not around, I have nightmares."

Silence fell when Feu said this, as neither felt sure of what to say next. Feu hadn't meant to confess to anyone that when Merlin wasn't around, her dreams grew dark and cold, Feu didn't like being vulnerable, let alone admitting that she was. Arthur felt uncomfortable and a little guilty as he was the one who was telling Merlin to do work, when he could be with Feu. Feu wasn't meant to be alone, but both Gaius and Merlin had work to do, and couldn't find the time, Feu briefly wondered what was keeping them so busy.

"I would love to see Camelot," she said suddenly, looking around the bare walls of the chamber with an expression of longing in her face. It had been the only thing she had seen for the past few days. "The Castle, all I've really seen of it is a few corridors, and it's so big. I've never been in a Castle before. There aren't very many out in the wilderness." She explained with a small smile.

"You're here to stay then," Arthur didn't mean to sound so disappointed, but that was the way it came out, and it didn't impress Feu.

"I'm afraid so," she glared at him for a few moments.

"I'll tell you what," Arthur smiled at her suddenly, an idea springing to mind. He didn't want to upset Feu any more than he had already done so; he wanted to make it up to her. "If you promise me you'll get some rest, I'll give you a tour around the Castle."

"Really?"

"Sure," Arthur shrugged. "The Castle, the grounds, some of the City. Why not?"

Feu thought for a few moments, her features relaxing. "All right then," she said. "Sounds better than me finding my own way around the place. Come and find me when you've got some spare time, and you can show me around."

Arthur nodded, smiling that his idea had worked. He turned and left the room, shouting briefly behind his shoulder; "just make sure you get some rest first."

Feu nodded, but she didn't reply. It seemed that, unlike her, Arthur couldn't tell when people are lying. If getting a tour around the Castle meant sitting around for a few more days, Feu didn't want to bother, and who knew when the Prince would have to give her a bit of attention? She might as well go and have a look around herself.

_*thought up that saying at about 11 o'clock at night when I was trying to get some sleep! I think it's kinda cool (: if it doesn't make much sense to you, feel free to ask me what it means (: _


	7. Chapter 7

_As you've probably noticed, I've been updating quite a lot recently (apart from yesterday…sorry about that) but I'm afraid that that's going to change for next week, as I'm performing in 5 concerts in 7 days (the technical term for that it AAAAAGH!) And of course there' s homework as well, so updates might grind to a halt. I'll try to update at least twice next week, but I can't guarantee anything_

To top it all off, Merlin series 3 has finished! ): Now there are no handsome fellas to watch on Saturday nights!…hehe ;) for those of you who haven't seen it yet, you're in for a treat! (: Can't wait til series 4! :D

_Anyway, here's the chapter, hope you enjoy, and don't forget to review! ;)_

Chapter 7

Gwen gazed out the window while she folded away Morgana's clothes, such a menial job she didn't need to concentrate, but she was pleased that her Lady had returned, and her clothes needed cleaning and putting away again. But there something not quite right about Morgana, there was something different about her.

Gwen paused at this thought. Of course it should be expected that Morgana had changed after all that she had been through over the past year, but there was a change that Gwen didn't understand. It was a strange sort of power that Morgana suddenly held in every stride, the sort of dictating power that the King held, where no one would get in her way, but the power was so strong it was almost impossible to control or understand. Gwen also felt that Morgana was keeping secrets from her, and she never used to do that, they were almost as close as sisters, why would Morgana suddenly start hiding things from her?

Before Gwen could consider any more of this, she heard the great clanking footsteps of one of Camelot's guards coming to the entrance of the chamber and stopping just in the doorway. Gwen turned to face him.

"Lady Morgana's silver has got a little dusty while she has been away, the King says someone needs to clean it for her." The guard grunted.

He was not a guard that Gwen knew, nor a guard that she probably wanted to know. His armour had not been polished, he looked scruffy and she could almost smell his fowl breath from the other side of the room. There was also something in his facial expression that she did not like, almost like a strange sort of loathing he was not trying to conceal.

Gwen nodded, hoping that the small gesture of understanding would send the guard on his way. But he stayed where he was, and that was when Gwen knew he didn't really need to send the message; it was just an excuse to say cruel things to her because of who she was. Her thought were confirmed when the man gave a horrible grin, showing yellow teeth.

"Not that someone like you with that sort of colour could make anything clean." The Guard sneered.

The words shattered through Gwen's heart, the sound of his voice stabbed at her soul as they set into her. No one ever dared say such a thing when Arthur or Morgana were around because they liked Gwen, but it was when she was on her own that she was in danger of such cruel remarks.

Gwen thought of perhaps replying, but there wasn't much she could say. She had heard these words before, and yet they still hurt. The pain showed on her face, as the guard grinned again and opened his mouth to insult her further.

But the guard didn't have enough time to say any more. There was a sudden thud from behind him, as something collided with the back of his head. The guard made a strange grunting noise, his eyes widening with surprise, before he fell forward onto the cold stone floor, and lay still.

Gwen looked up with horror, to see who was the attacker and her rescuer, and was surprised to find a girl stand there. It was the mysterious girl that Merlin had introduced her to when they had returned to Camelot to rid the City of the Opinicus. The last thing Gwen heard was that she was close to death. And yet here she was.

"Well he wasn't very nice," Feu said in a matter-of-fact voice, stepping over the motionless guard and walking into the chamber, while Gwen found that she could do nothing but stare.

"Did you—" Gwen began, pointing down at the guard. Feu seemed to know what she was asking.

"Kill him? No," she said casually, "I don't think so…" she added slowly, looking down at the item in her hand which she had hit the guard with. "What is this?"

"It's a rolling pin," Gwen told her, trying not to laugh now.

"Oh interesting, I've never seen a rolling pin before." Feu said, looking at the object with interest, wondering what other function it had apart from knocking rude people unconscious.

"Where did you get it from?" Gwen asked after a short pause when she had picked out one of the many questions that were now running through her head.

"The kitchens," Feu explained. "I was feeling a little bit hungry on my walk around the Castle so I went in there." There was a pause, as Feu looked at Gwen carefully. "Why are you staring at me?" She asked suddenly.

"I was just wondering why you hit that man," Gwen told Feu honestly.

"Because I didn't like him," Feu replied, which simply made Gwen feel more confused.

"You don't even know him," she pointed out.

Feu nodded, "true. But he said nasty things about you, he judged you because you looked different, he didn't consider who you are on the inside. You should never trust anyone who makes such judgements."

Gwen hesitated for a few moments, when she spoke again; her voice was full of hope, even though she didn't mean it to be. "Do you mean that you don't judge me because of what I look like?"

Feu shrugged, "why should I? There's nothing wrong with the way you look. People take one look at me and fear me or hate me, I know the importance of judging someone because of who they are, not what they are." Feu suddenly smiled, "that's why I like you Gwen. A strange person coming to Camelot, acting strangely and saying strange things, and you don't seem to care."

"I should be grateful that you saved the lives of my friends by killing the Opinicus before the whole City was destroyed." Gwen told her.

Feu wasn't sure what to say to this. No one had ever really thanked her for anything until Merlin and Arthur plucked her from her lonely life and brought her across the dark forest to the City. She wasn't sure how to react when people showed their thanks. So she just shrugged as if it was nothing.

Just then, Feu felt the world began to blur and saw back sparks emerging from her vision. Perhaps it wasn't a very good idea to use all your energy hitting people over the head with kitchen equipment. She sat down quickly on a chair before she fell down; Gwen grew worried when she saw this.

"Are you all right?" She asked quickly, looking around for a glass of water she could offer the pale looking Feu.

But Feu shook her head, she didn't want a nurse, she wanted a conversation. "Don't worry about me, I'm fine. The Castle's a big building to walk around, I've just warn myself out, I need to sit down for a little bit."

That brought another question to Gwen's mind. "Why are you walking around the Castle in the first place?" She asked, she didn't sound suspicious or worried, but light-hearted and curious.

Feu smiled, "I was bored," she explained. "I wanted to have a look around." She looked at the clothes that Gwen was putting away. "Do you work here?"

Gwen nodded, "I'm Lady Morgana's maid."

"Oh,"

"What's the matter?" Gwen asked, she didn't understand why Feu suddenly sounded so disappointed and even fearful. What was wrong with working in Camelot? What was wrong with being Morgana's maid?

"Nothing," Feu shook her head quickly, deciding that if Arthur wasn't going to listen to her warnings of Morgana, her maid wasn't going to either. "So you must know the royal family members quite well then?"

Gwen nodded again, "yes, I'm good friends with Morgana and Arthur."

The way Gwen had said this, told Feu that there might just be more then close friendship, her keen ears had picked up a secret message behind the words. When Gwen said Morgana's name, it was full of warmth and gladness, a sign that they were good friends and held good memories, they had obviously known each other for a long time. But Arthur's name was slightly more hesitant, but she smiled at the same time at the name. There was something else hiding behind the name when Gwen said it, something a lot deeper than friendship, especially for Gwen.

As realisation of what this meant dawned on Feu, she couldn't help but smile. Gwen noticed the almost amused look on her face, and didn't like it.

"What?"

Feu grinned, "Arthur," was all she said, and all that was needed to say.

As soon as Feu said this, Gwen realised what she meant, what she had worked out. Her cheeks went a little pink and she immediately began to feel embarrassed and sad.

"Is it that obvious?" She asked grimly.

Feu saw the look on her face, and grew worried. "No, I don't mean there's anything bad about your feelings, why should there? You have good reasons to feel like you do, he's loyal, he has a good heart, he's going to be a great King and, let's face it, he does have nice eyes." Feu was surprised she had managed to find so many nice things to say about Arthur.

Gwen couldn't help but laugh, "sounds like you're the one hoping to marry him."

"What? Arthur? Ew, no!" Gwen laughed again when Feu pulled a disgusted look. "Have you ever seen us together? Cats and dogs get on better than we do! If I was going to marry anyone, it would be Merlin." _Who's probably wondering where I am, _she added in her head.

"It doesn't matter who marries him anyway," Gwen added with a sad shake of her head, "because it won't be me."

Feu seemed surprised by this comment, "what makes you say that?"

"Because he's a Prince, and I'm a maid," Gwen thought it was obvious, but Feu shrugged as if that didn't matter.

"So? What you do, doesn't make you who you are. Just because you're a maid doesn't change anything. I can see you as Queen actually, you'd make quite a good one."

"Thank you, but I'm afraid in Camelot being a maid makes it impossible to marry a Prince," Gwen told her solemnly. "I don't think Arthur's interested in me anyway."

"But that might change," Feu told her.

Gwen was going to scoff at this and tell Feu not to be ridiculous, but the look of Feu's face, the seriousness, almost determination, and her piercing eyes that dug deep into her soul, stopped her. It even made her consider for a few moments that Feu wasn't just trying to comfort her, she was right. It led to the two of them staring at each other, for what felt like hours.

Finally Feu spoke, as her internal warning that Merlin was probably wandering around looking for her, and wouldn't be impressed when he found out she had been walking around the castle alone and knocking knights unconscious, told her she'd better get a move on.

"I'd best be going," she told Gwen, standing up suddenly and taking Gwen slightly by surprise. "I should be getting back to Merlin."

Gwen nodded, "of course."

"It was nice to meet you properly this time," Feu told her with a friendly smile.

"You too," Gwen said, returning the smile.

Without saying anything else, Feu turned and left the chamber. The guard was just coming round as she felt, so she casually kicked him in the head again before making her way down the corridor.

Morgana watched Feu go. She had never seen this girl before, and something about her told Morgana that she wasn't any ordinary normal girl either. Morgana had wished she had heard the girl's conversation with Gwen, but she had only just arrived. All she had heard was that she had to be getting back to Merlin.

Still a little confused, Morgana entered the chamber where Gwen still was, ignoring the unconscious guard as if she didn't really care (which she didn't). Gwen greeted her with a smile.

"Who was that girl you were just talking to?" Morgana asked curiously.

"Her name's Feu," Gwen told her.

"Why have I not seen her before?"

"She's not been staying in Camelot for very long my Lady, she came before you returned." Gwen explained. "She's staying with Merlin."

"Really?" Morgana made sure she didn't sound as interested in this piece of information than she actually was.

"Yes, they're sort of a couple I suppose," Gwen said, smiling again at this.

"Interesting," Morgana said, as her blood red lips formed into a smile at this news, and a plan already began to form in her mind.


	8. Chapter 8

_Hooray finally an update! Sorry it's been a few days, a bit of a short chapter, but what can you do :S _

_Had a really bad week, so reviews appreciated more than ever! (: Thank you._

Chapter 8

Morgana strolled out of the Castle as night set over Camelot. The whole world had grown dark apart from the twinkling stars above her head. Her dark figure almost matched the shadows of the streets at night. She stopped once to glance around and make sure that she had not been followed from the Castle, before continuing her walk. The only noise that echoed through the night was her shoes tapping on the cold stone concrete as she walked away from the Castle that was slowly beginning to feel like a prison.

For her short journey, Morgana had put aside her grand and elaborate dresses, and wore something more casual and normal so as not to arise suspicion. She was also wearing a dark green cloak with a hood up over her head, just in case if anyone saw her, they would not be able to recognise the King's ward. They would just see a cloaked figure walking through the dark, disappearing into the night as if they were never there. But there was no one to see Morgana walk past, the streets were empty, just as she knew there would be.

A map sketched out in her mind, Morgana walked on without hesitation, moving further away from the crowded City. Within minutes the closely packed houses and market stools around her began to disperse. Suddenly Morgana stopped, even though there was nothing to be seen but darkness, she knew she had reached her destination.

Taking one more glance around, Morgana stepped forward and entered an old, deserted barn. Not the grandest place for a reunion, but no one would suspect any evil doings happening in a place that contained nothing but a few pieces of farming equipment and hay.

After a few moments of standing in the barn alone, Morgana heard a small noise behind her, and felt a breeze wash gently over her face that could have only been caused by magic.

Morgana smiled as the figure that had appeared in the barn crept closer, and laid a soft hand on hers.

"Sister," the voice breathed in an almost silent whisper.

Morgause was wearing a blood red dress that matched Morgana's lipstick and her wavy blond hair flowed over her shoulders as it always did. Their dark, mysterious eyes were the same, but it would have been hard for someone to tell that they were related.

Morgana beamed as she turned around to face Morgause, her tutor of magic, her sister, her best friend. They embraced quickly and silently at their secret reunion. When they broke Morgause smiled also, but then she grew concerned.

"Why did you call me so suddenly sister? Is there something wrong? Did everything go as planned on your return?" She asked, taking Morgana's hands in her own.

Morgana couldn't help but sigh. "Everything went fine," she told Morgause, "the King is happy to have his ward back, and he is blind to the truth as I think he always will be. Everything went as we had planned it, but I am concerned that not everyone is as ignorant as the King."

"Who?" Morgause asked quickly.

"Merlin," Morgana's voice could only be described as dripping with contempt. She scowled as she said the servant's name, and her eyes seemed to grow darker with hatred and evil.

"Did he not believe you when you told him that you had changed?" Morgause asked.

Morgana nodded, but when she spoke her voice was full of doubt. "He seems to have forgiven me, and accepted my apology. But I feel that he does not fully trust me, and I do not feel safe while he still walks the corridors of Camelot. He may only be a servant, but he is a close servant and friend to Arthur, and he may hold secrets about me that I do not wish anyone to have. If he does not trust me, then I cannot trust him."

"If you fear that he may ruin our plans, then we will have to dispose of him," Morgause told her sister comfortingly. But something in Morgana's eyes told her that she may have already thought of a way to get rid of this annoying servant, and she was here not to ask for advice on what to do, but to share her plans. "What are your thoughts sister?"

A cruel smile grew over Morgana's blood red lips. "While I have been gone, Merlin's got a new friend. Although by what my maid has told me, it seems that they are much, much more than friends."

Morgause couldn't help smiling also at this news. "Do you know anything more about this girl?" She asked.

"Only that her name's Feu."

There was something familiar about that name Feu, Morgana could see Morgause's eyes glittering through the darkness, thinking hard about where she might have heard the name before.

"I have heard of a creature called Feu," Morgause said slowly. "I did not know her, but I knew she existed. A magical, elfish creature, a Doe, one of the few known alive, living in the depths of the Dark Forest."

"The Dark Forest?" Morgana repeated, "do you think that was why Merlin was there?"

When they had first gone to the Dark Forest, Morgause had promised Morgana that they would be safe from any members of Camelot from discovering her, that they could practise their magic secretly but confidently there. So Morgana was shocked when she found her murderer sitting in the middle of the forest in the middle of the night*. Since then she had not let that image escape from her mind, and neither had Merlin.

"But what would Camelot want with _her_?" Morgana demanded, disgusted at the thought that Feu could be accepted into Camelot, but she didn't dare step into that place for almost a year because of her powers. "Uther hates all magical creatures."

"My spies told me that while you were gone, Camelot was under attack from a great magical bird, an Opinicus." Morgause explained in a soothing voice to try and comfort her sister. "Does have a long standing reliance with the Opinicus, it could be that Feu was brought to Camelot to send the Opinicus away, or to kill it. And now it seems she's decided to stay."

"And now Feu and Merlin have grown very close," Morgana added with a horrible smile.

Morgause nodded, her eyes glittering as an idea formed in her mind, probably the same as Morgana's. "We need to silence the boy, but killing off a Prince's manservant might create too many questions, but if we target a creature that not even Uther wants in his Kingdom…" Morgana nodded enthusiastically. "What are you suggesting sister?" Morgause asked, a smile on her face as she knew what Morgana was going to say, but she wanted to hear it from her.

"Let's break his heart," Morgana said passionately and viciously. Her teeth were gritted together with anger as evil and cruelty boiled in her veins. "Why does he deserve to have a lover? After he sat there and watched me almost die?" She spat, but then she smiled again. "When we've taken the most important part of his life away, Merlin won't dare to come near me again."

Morgause grinned, showing perfect white teeth, she liked how her sister was becoming more like herself.

"It will be too dangerous to kill Feu off ourselves, but I'm sure a creature like that will have many enemies that will be longing to destroy her." Morgause told Morgana. "It won't be hard to find a willing killing, and after that, Merlin's precious Feu will be no more."

The two sisters couldn't help but laugh at this, as the darkness of the night set over them, just like the darkness that had settled in their souls.

_*See Smell of Spices, chapter 14_


	9. Chapter 9

_A short chapter, but at least it's a quickish update. Reviews much appreciated (:_

Chapter 9

The empty Castle was dark and cold. The walls a crumbling, dirty grey colour and the vast emptiness sent echoes across the almost deserted hall. A dusty fireplace was alive with flame for probably the first time in years, and yet the heat of the bright orange flames found it impossible to warm up the damp Castle.

Samar gazed at his surroundings for a second time, he had to admit he was impressed by the suitable atmosphere the abandoned Castle gave, he wondered how long it had taken Morgause to find such a place, or if she used it all the time. It proved to him that the reason he was meeting her and her sister Morgana was top secret, no one else alive must be around to see it. Samar smiled darkly at this thought as he knelt on the cold floor in front of Morgause and Morgana, waiting for someone to break the silence.

It had been less than twelve hours since Morgause and Morgana had their meeting in the empty barn. Morgause said it would be easy to find someone who had a strong hatred for Feu, but Morgana hadn't expected the assassin to be literally waiting for the message to come along, it made her eyes narrow slightly with suspicion. The sooner this was over and done with, the better.

Morgause had put aside her red dress for this occasion, and had on instead her shining silver armour, as if to show Samar that she meant business, or if he was going to try and attack her or Morgana for whatever reason, he would regret it. Morgana in the meantime had gone back to her grand dresses as if she wanted to impress Samar. As she looked down at him, she wondered if this was at all like being Queen. She liked the feeling of power she held over this man if it was, but her face remained unemotional and plain.

The silence was a little tense, though Samar didn't really seem to notice. He may be kneeling in front of these two sorceresses, but really he was the one with all the power. Finally, Morgause spoke.

"What is your name?" She asked.

"Samar, my lady," Samar said in a low, quiet voice, bowing his head as he spoke.

"I trust you know why you are here Samar." Morgause replied.

Samar smiled. "From what I have heard, you need to get rid of someone that is causing you some trouble, my lady Morgause. Someone that I may know."

"The creature's name is Feu."

Samar smiled again, his black eyes glittering. "Oh yes, I know Feu very well."

"Old friends?"

"Old enemies."

"So you will have no trouble in killing her then?" Morgause asked, she sounded pleased by what had been said so far, it could not have been easier.

"Trouble? Ha! I want the bitch dead as much as you do," Samar said viciously, he ran his hands through his black hair as he said this. Morgana and Morgause caught sight of his missing fingers, but they said nothing. "I will have no trouble in killing her. I will ask no questions about why you want her dead; we all have our reasons. I will not demand any more payment than you will give me, I will not try anything clever, I will just do exactly what you say."

"Why?" Morgana demanded suddenly. Morgana had been silent for most of the time, but now her suspicion had got the best of her, in her opinion, this was _too _easy. "Why are you willing to be so useful, to be so helpful?"

Samar didn't appear to be insulted by these words, in fact he laughed. "Like I said my lady Morgana, we all have our reasons. I do not want to ruin this opportunity to take my revenge on Feu; I will ask no questions because I do not really care about your reasons." He looked up at Morgause and Morgana, smiling a very dark smile, "I know about you two," he muttered, "you plan to bring an end to Uther's reign. Why would I want to disagree with two powerful sorceresses who could give me back the freedom I have desired for such a long time? I want to roam freely like I used to; I want people to be afraid of me, to hate me. With Uther gone, I will have my old power back. That is why I am willing to help you." He explained, looking straight into the eyes of Morgana. He had not expected her to be so beautiful, if she did end up ruling Camelot like she and Morgause planned, perhaps he could take the opportunity to know her a little better.

After his explanation, Morgause looked satisfied. Morgana still didn't seem too sure, but she held herself back from asking any more questions. Morgause held out her hands, and a bag of gold appeared within her palm from nowhere. She threw it down at Samar's feet.

"That is your payment Samar. You will change your clothes," she looked up and down at Samar's scruffy, dark clothes, "as I want you to dress as a gentlemen, to become a gentleman. You will enter Camelot as not an enemy, but as a friend. You will join in the celebrations that Morgana has returned."

"If you tell Uther that you were once a friend of my mothers," Morgana added, "he will welcome you with open arms."

"Once you are in Camelot, I'm sure you will be able to find an opportunity to find Feu and then deal with her in whatever way you see fit." Morgause said. "Then you will be able to return to the life you had before, only with a lot more gold."

Samar chuckled at this; he stood up and bowed low. "Thank you my Ladies. I promise you, that within a week, at least someone will be dead."

Morgause and Morgana smiled at this, Morgause was surprised by how quickly the meeting had lasted, but at the same time glad that everything had fallen into place with ease.

"Thank you Samar, you may go." Morgana said.

Samar bowed again, before turning swiftly and leaving the abandoned Castle. A dark smile still on his face.


	10. Chapter 10

_Hooray, finally Samar's come back into the story after only briefly seeing him in chapter 1, hopefully now it should get a little more interesting. Not 100% happy with this chapter, but hey ho, hope you like. Please review (:_

Chapter 10

"Merlin?"

Merlin rolled his eyes and turned back to the table he had just come from to see what Arthur wanted this time. He didn't try to hide the fact that he wasn't enjoying serving at yet another celebration on Morgana's return. After all, he wasn't the one eating all the glorious food, and he didn't think that Morgana was some brave heroine, he felt that there was a little more, a different story behind the one that she had told.

"I was just wondering why you seem to be the only servant serving drinks this evening." Arthur explained, not looking at Merlin, but at something behind him.

Merlin's brow furrowed slightly with confusion. "I'm not." He looked around to see what Arthur was gazing at.

The Great Hall had been suddenly filled with colour that night, perfect for a huge celebration. Different patterns of drapes hung from the walls, the empty space of the Great Hall had been filled with great oak tables that were piled with food. Uther still sat on his throne, but he no longer looked old and grim. He was joining in with the celebrations, beaming at the sight of the all the nobles and knights who were celebrating around him. They were smiling, talking, laughing and listening to the music a few minstrels were playing quietly in the corner. A thousand candles burned, lighting up the Great Hall in a bright yellow glow. But Arthur wasn't looking at the decorations of the Hall; he was looking directly at Feu who was currently chatting happily away with Gwen.

"I told Feu she needed to find a job now she was a lot better, I thought a servant job would do for her for now." Merlin explained, assuming that the look of Arthur's face was because he was slightly confused by the sight of Feu in the middle of the hall.

Arthur shook his head, "no, I know that. But that doesn't seem to be what she's doing."

Merlin glanced back at Feu and Gwen, "no, good point." He paused, looking back At Gwen and Feu again, who were still talking and didn't seem to be interested in serving any more drinks this evening.

"Any reason why?" Arthur asked, he was now beginning to sound slightly irritated.

From what Merlin had heard of Feu's conversation with Gwen, they were talking about dresses and hair, which Merlin thought he would never catch Feu talking about. She wasn't that kind of girl, but perhaps there was nothing left to discuss. This really only meant one thing, "I think she's bored Sire." He said.

"Well I'm sure there are plenty of people who could do with another drink," Arthur pointed out, which Merlin knew meant _she should actually get to work if that's her job._

Merlin nodded and moved away from Arthur's table as the Prince turned his attention on someone else to talk to, someone Merlin had never seen in Camelot before, but took little notice of. He was glad to get away from him, Merlin wondered what was making the Prince grumpy today. Perhaps he had eaten too much already and had gone stomach ache.

Suddenly a figure appeared next to him. "Merlin!"

Merlin jumped at Feu's rather over excited voice, he almost dropped the canter of wine he was carrying, catching it quickly, he looked back up into Feu's sparkling eyes, and couldn't help but grin back at her.

"Has anyone told you you're a little loud this evening?" He asked in a light-hearted tone.

"I'm not actually sure what I'm meant to be doing here," Feu continued as if Merlin hadn't spoken, but she did lower her voice a little.

"Serving drinks," Merlin reminded her, wondering if Feu had perhaps helped herself to some of the wine.

Feu nodded, but didn't seem very pleased about that reply. "Haven't these people learnt to fend for themselves? Like I've had to?"

"Well it's a little different when you're living in a City, we have hierarchies," Merlin tried to explain, aware that Feu probably never had been in a world where there was a division between rich and poor, and there was a leader you had to follow and respect.

Feu made a peculiar snorting noise at this, "seems all a bit silly to me."

"I cannot agree more." Said a sudden voice behind them.

Merlin and Feu turned around, slightly startled by the sudden, new voice and looked up at the stranger. Merlin was surprised to find him face to face with the same man Arthur had just been talking to. He wondered what the man wanted and why he had never seen him in Camelot before.

The man was clearly a gentleman, if not, a nobleman. His clothes were grand, expensive and brand new. He had sleek, jet-black hair that had been combed back, and eyes that seemed to match the colour of his hair. They were a sharp contrast to his white teeth, which were revealed when he smiled down at Merlin and Feu. His voice was rough and low when he spoke, but he appeared friendly enough. Merlin could almost feel him warming to the man already, and retired the man's friendly smile with one of his own.

Feu however, had reacted completely differently to the sight of this man. The smile that had been on her face had completely disappeared, and the spark in her eye had vanished. She suddenly seemed to be very pale, and even afraid of the man in front of her. Merlin noticed how tense she had suddenly become.

"Pardon me for interrupting you," the man said as Merlin opened his mouth to say something, he held out his left hand, his right hand staying firmly in his pocket. "I have not visited Camelot for a very long time, and I like to introduce myself to the servants as well as the masters."

Merlin took the stranger's hand and shook it, he liked the look of this man, but he was still a little confused. "Sorry, who are you?" He asked.

The man smiled, "forgive me, I have not properly introduced myself yet. I used to be friends with Morgana's mother before she passed away, my name is Samar."

"Nice to meet you Samar," Merlin replied, "my name is Merlin."

Samar smiled, but it seemed slightly less of a pleasant smile, but Merlin couldn't see the danger behind the smile, or in the tone of his voice. "Merlin? An interesting name. It's nice to meet you, Merlin."

"And this is," Merlin turned his head to introduce Samar to Feu, and for a moment wasn't sure where she was. Feu wasn't standing where she was before, right beside Merlin, but in fact lingering behind him, as if she was trying to hide from Samar. "Feu," Merlin said, beckoning her forward, slightly annoyed. He couldn't understand why she looked so afraid, and she was embarrassing him a little now.

"Feu eh?" Samar said, cocking his head slightly to one side so he could see the girl standing behind Merlin. His smile widened. "That's a pretty name. It's nice to meet you, Feu." He didn't offer her his hand.

"And it's not nice to meet you," Feu replied in a low, quiet, but almost threatening voice. She tried to control her fear and anger that was suddenly bubbling up inside her at the sight of this man.

Feu's reply seemed to annoy Merlin even more, "Feu, we don't speak to people like that," he told her. "Especially people you've never met before."

Feu didn't look up at Merlin; she kept her eyes fixed on Samar. "But we have met before." She said.

"Sorry, I don't think we have. I always remember a face," Samar told her, with another friendly smile that sent cold shivers up Feu's spine.

"And so do I," Feu told him firmly, and she couldn't help it, the sight of this man she thought she would never seen again, suddenly appearing when she thought she had finally found happiness, was a mixture of emotion she couldn't control. Her eyes flashed bright green in the middle of the crowded hall.

This was the last thing Feu was meant to do, especially in front of some of the most important people in the City who didn't realise she still existed. The colour changed in her eyes shocked Merlin, but also made him afraid.

Merlin glanced around quickly, worried that someone might have noticed her eyes flash green in a way that could only be caused by magic. He looked around the Great Hall, but no one seemed to have noticed, no one was watching them. But there was one person who may have noticed; Morgana had been casting malicious glances over in their direction all evening. However, Merlin hadn't seen this.

He turned back to Samar, wondered how he would react. He expected the man to be scared, perhaps even angry at the sight of this, to cry aloud for guards that some witch was in their presence. But Samar didn't do any of this, in fact he laughed.

"I'm afraid you must have mistaken me for someone else." Samar told her. He hadn't taken his eyes off of Feu, and yet he acted as if nothing peculiar had happened at all.

Samar took his hands out of his pockets and ran his hands through his hair; it was then that Merlin caught sight of the two missing fingers on his right hand. He couldn't help but be surprised to see such an injury on someone of such a high rank, unless he was once a soldier. It must have been some sort of terrible accident, or perhaps Samar had had those fingers missing from birth. Feu's face however, was drained completely of colour when she saw the missing fingers.

"Merlin," she whispered, tugging at his sleeve, her eyes had moved from Samar's face, and were now fixed on his missing fingers "Can I have a word with you please." It wasn't a request, more of a demand.

The very sight of Samar's missing fingers had made Feu's heart rate triple, she had hoped that perhaps she was wrong, that this wasn't the Samar that she knew. But the sight of the missing fingers had confirmed her worse fears, and now she wanted to do nothing but to escape this crowded hall. The only thing that made her hesitate before leaving, was the thought that if she did go, she would have to tell Merlin everything. She just hoped she could trust Merlin.

Merlin glanced back at Feu, and saw the fear in her eyes. Even though he couldn't understand why Feu was suddenly acting so strangely, her fear worried him. He didn't like to see her like this, so he nodded.

"Excuse me Samar," he said turning back quickly to the gentleman, who was still standing there, looking almost amused by Feu's sudden urgency for departure. "We have to be going, perhaps we will be able to talk another time?"

Samar nodded, "oh I hope so. Goodbye Merlin, goodbye, Feu." There was something in Samar's eyes as he said their names that even made Merlin feel uneasy.

After this brief goodbye, Merlin let Feu pull him quickly and a little roughly out of the Great Hall. Unfortunately he didn't manage to see the look that Samar gave them as they left, before he turned back to talking to the King and his son. He didn't get to see the small smile that grew of Morgana's lips as she watched a panicked looking Feu rush out of the Great Hall.


	11. Chapter 11

_Here's the next chapter, but I have also just put up on fanfic another story with Feu in it, it's called the Softness of Snow, please check it out if you are interested (:_

_Only two reviews for the last two chapters! ):_

Chapter 11

"Feu, would you please tell me what's the matter?" Merlin demanded, as he was dragged further and further away from the Great Hall and from the mysterious Samar.

Feu didn't reply for a while, her mouth was tight shut and her eyes set on the corridor ahead of her. She continued pulling Merlin by the sleeve, as if she was worried that Samar could still hear them if they said anything or if he was standing right behind them, watching them.

Finally, Feu stopped. They were standing at the end of a completely deserted corridor, everyone who would have been walking past were at the celebration. The thick stone walls were blocking out almost all the noise from the Great Hall, only the slight trickle of music could be heard. Feu took a quick look around, making sure that there was no one else but them, before turning back to Merlin.

There was an uncomfortable silence for a few moments, when Feu seemed to do nothing but stare at Merlin with a ghastly expression on her face, as if she was going into shock. She didn't even seem to be looking at Merlin, but through him. Merlin couldn't understand what had caused Feu to go so pale.

But it wasn't just Feu's expression that told Merlin something was wrong, he felt it too. Now he was out of the Great Hall, he felt like he was able to breathe again, as if something within the Great Hall had been choking him, suffocating him. All the emotions he had felt in the hall suddenly seemed to change now he was out of it, as if they were under some sort of control while he was there.

"Feu, would you like to explain to me what that was all about?" Merlin asked, he tried not to sound angry or annoyed, because he wasn't, he was worried about what was wrong. He tried to keep his voice gentle and calm, though he couldn't help but let a tone of frustration slip through.

For a few moments, Feu didn't say anything. In fact for a few seconds she didn't do anything but stare with shocked, wide blue eyes. Then she put her head in her hands and begun to sob.

This was not the reaction Merlin had been expecting. It hadn't crossed his mind that meeting a stranger was enough for Feu to burst out into silent tears. At first, he wasn't even quite sure what to do. Minutes ago Feu was her own happy self, now she was suddenly having a breakdown as memories she had hid away for so many years were suddenly spilling out into the present.

"Feu, Feu it's OK." Merlin told her in a soft voice, pulling her into a gentle hug. "I didn't mean to upset you, what's the matter?" But Feu just continued to cry into her hands, and didn't look up or speak. Merlin continued to try and soothe her, saying over and over again "it's going to be OK Feu, everything's going to be fine."

"Not it's not." Feu said suddenly, her voice heavily muffled by the fact that she was still in Merlin's arms, and she still had her face in her hands. "I thought I would never see his face again, and now he's back. I don't think he'll go away now Merlin, not until someone's dead, and that means that it will never be OK again."

"What?" Merlin still couldn't understand. "Feu calm down, slow down. Start from the beginning, you're confusing me. Tell me what's making you so upset."

"Samar," Feu almost spat out the word. If Merlin could see her eyes, they would be filled with hatred, and for a few seconds would have become their eerie green again.

"Samar?" Merlin was even more confused now, "what's wrong with Samar?"

This was definitely the wrong thing to say, as Feu pulled roughly away from Merlin, taking her hands away from her head, showing him an expression of surprise and disgust. She glowered at Merlin, but managed to control her rage and fear that burned inside her.

"I thought he had done something. I could tell by the clouded look in your eyes in there," she nodded in the direction of the Great Hall. "He does that sometimes, though I thought you would be powerful enough to see through him."

"What?" But Merlin was beginning to understand what Feu was talking about. As soon as he stepped out of the Great Hall he knew he didn't feel right, or rather, he knew that something in the Great Hall hadn't been right.

"It's impossible to like a man such as him," Feu explained, each word filled with malice. "So he cast a spell to make you think there is more to him than you actually see."

Now Feu was beginning to make slightly more sense, Merlin suddenly realised that she was right. His senses and emotions did seem to feel so smothered in that hall, but he only realised this when he stepped out of it. Samar's very presence twisted what Merlin saw, and he felt like a fool that he hadn't realised. Who else might be under Samar's spell, who couldn't see? Perhaps even Arthur or Uther. But this didn't explain why Feu was so upset by the sight of Samar.

"Who is this man Feu? Why is he making you so upset?" Merlin demanded.

Feu paused for a few moments, not sure what to say, her face still white as a sheet as the subject of Samar continued. "Because I know him. I know him when he doesn't cast a spell."

Merlin had never seen Feu look so serious as she said this; her bright blue eyes stared into his unblinkingly and her jaw was so tight she was finding it difficult to speak clearly. But she stayed focused on what she was saying, not the anger within her, or else that would become uncontrollable.

"The first, and what I thought the last time I saw him, I was only young. It was a long time ago, but not long enough for me to try and forget. It was between the time when I was looking for my mother, when I didn't realise she would never be coming back to me. Samar thought he had spotted some easy prey when he saw me. He appeared out of nowhere and he acted friendly, but he didn't realise what I was, so he didn't realise I could see right through him. He tried to follow me, and I got scared, so I tried to run from him. Of course he then ran after me, and tried to…do things to me."

"Do things?" Merlin repeated, "what do you mean?"

"Just things Merlin, let's just leave it at that." Feu told him harshly, a look of disgust on her face at the fact that Merlin had actually asked the question. "Anyway, I got really scared, and then really angry. You know what happens when I get angry Merlin, and back then I couldn't control myself. So I turned on him and I…I bit off his fingers." Feu finished her explanation in an ashamed mumble.

"You…you did what?"

"I bit his hand!" Feu snapped angrily. "Didn't you see? Didn't you see those ugly stumps on his fingers! My teeth sliced into his hand before I could think twice, and his fingers fell onto the ground right in front of him. There was blood all over him...all over me. As soon as I realised what I had done, I ran for it, but he swore he would take his revenge as he watched me flee. It had been so long, I thought that perhaps he had forgotten about revenge, or perhaps he was dead. I should have known he would keep a promise like that. And now here he is!" Feu's eyes flashed green again, but she didn't want to attack anyone, she wanted to cry. Cry because she was scared; cry because of the memories that had come flooding back to mind.

There was an awkward pause, where Merlin wasn't sure whether Feu was going to start crying again, he put a comforting arm around her, just in case. "There's nothing to be afraid of Feu, because Samar doesn't know that you're not alone any more. You have me; you have friends, people who are willing to protect you. I promise you that Samar won't hurt you, not while I'm around."

He hoped that his words would comfort Feu, but she shook her head sadly. "No, because if you stand up against Samar, you'll get hurt too. You don't know what he's capable of…I won't let anything happen to anyone that I love, because that's what he wants."

This led to another stretch of silence, where Merlin wasn't sure what to say. He knew that if he tried to make the promise again, Feu would refuse it again. He just silently told himself that he would always protect her, whatever the case. Samar may have a small amount of magic, but he would be no match against a Dragonlord and he was not aware of Merlin's powers, when Merlin knew all about his. Samar thought he had all the power, but really he hadn't.

"I suppose we should get back to the hall," Merlin mumbled after a few moments.

"Just a moment," Feu said, "I need to sit down for a little bit."

"Why? Are you all right?" Merlin asked quickly, immediately worried. The Opinicus fight jumping to his mind. Perhaps it was still a bit too soon for Feu to be up and about, even though she insisted she was fine.

But Feu seemed to know what he was thinking, and shook her head. "I'm fine really, I just feel a bit tired, and little sick. I just want to sit down for a little bit." She explained, subconsciously rubbing her stomach.

Thinking quickly, Merlin glanced around to make sure no one was watching, before muttering a few hastened words under his breath, and a chair appeared before Feu. She couldn't help but smile.

"Thank you," she said sweetly, sitting down. She had almost forgotten the benefits of being in love with someone who had magic as well. She made sure Merlin stood with her while she sat, holding onto his hand. While Merlin was around, she felt safe, and she could put aside the fear that Samar had returned. Feu knew it wouldn't be long before Samar started causing trouble, so she wanted to take this opportunity while she still had it.


	12. Chapter 12

_Could have updated yesterday, but I couldn't find the motivation, you know how it is sometimes, so apologies for that. If this chapter is rubbish blame it on the fact that I have the flu ): _

_Had a really bad weekend, but reviews always cheer me up (:_

Chapter 12

The celebration went far into the night, by the end of it the numbers of guests dwindled quickly, and even Uther admitted he couldn't stay awake any more. Everyone went to bed.

Almost everyone.

Merlin had just finished helping Arthur get ready for bed, who kept on insisting that he was not drunk at all, but could hardly walk in a straight line. Merlin was glad to get away. He was making his way down a spiral staircase that led to a deserted corridor, but when he reached the bottom he saw that it was no longer deserted. Samar was walking past, his head down as if he was deep in thought; despite the hour being so late, it seemed that he had no intention of getting back home, wherever that may be. Feu was just coming round the corner of the corridor, head down also, deep in thought about the person she was about to walk in to. Her senses were so exhausted she had not spotted Samar until it was too late.

"Hello Feu," Samar said in a low, amused tone. A horrible smile stretching out across his face.

Feu took one look at Samar, and stopped dead. Merlin wondered what she was doing, why she didn't just try and run from Samar? Or maybe that would make everything worse. They were right at the end of the corridor, and hadn't spotted Merlin from where he was standing, Merlin considered stepping forward and stopping whatever might happen next, but then something told him that perhaps it was a good thing he hadn't been spotted yet. So he stayed where he was and kept watching and listening.

"What do you want Samar?" Feu demanded between gritted teeth.

Samar didn't seem to notice the anger or fear in her voice; instead he seemed quite amused by the situation. "Can't I ask how an old friend of mine is?" He asked as innocently as he could.

Feu's eyes narrowed. "No," she said flatly, "because we are far from friends Samar, and you know that. Don't try and make it seem any different."

Samar ran his hands through his hair slowly. "Now, now Feu. Someone might see us, we don't want to give the wrong impression." He told her coolly.

"I don't care, people should see who you really are!" Feu spat, her eyes flashing green and her fangs protruded from her open mouth for a few moments. She hissed threateningly at Samar.

Samar seemed to have been waiting for something like this to happen, and now it had he reacted badly. Quick as a flash, a hand was up around Feu's throat and she was thrust against the cold, stone wall. Merlin held back a gasp of horror as he watched this happen. He should do something, but his feet seemed to be glued to the floor, he couldn't move any further. He couldn't see clearly what was happening any more, Samar's back was facing him, but he could still hear what they were saying.

"We don't want anyone knowing who I really am now do we Feu?" Samar hissed in her ear as she struggled against his grip. "Or else someone might just get hurt."

"If you don't let go of me, then I'll scream, and then everyone will know who you are." Feu gasped, trying to pull his hand away from her neck, she kicked her legs madly, but he was too strong.

Merlin knew that Feu wasn't lying, but this didn't seem to worry Samar. One stern look from him seemed to silence Feu and calm her struggles. "If you do that, then I'll have to rip out your throat." He told her.

Feu glared at Samar, but she didn't scream. The green glow of her eyes had died down, she knew that Samar was being serious, he had probably done something like that before. "I'll ask you one more time Samar, what are you doing here?" She demanded.

"I don't know why you looked so surprised to see me Feu, you knew this day would come soon." Samar told her darkly. He paused as a new thought occurred to him. "That boy of yours, Merlin. He doesn't know anything about me does he? Did you tell him anything?"

"No." Feu lied. "He fell for your silly little tricks."

"Good." If Merlin could see Samar's face, he would have seen a cruel smile grow upon it and the black eyes glitter. "Just you and me then."

"It was so long ago Samar," Feu said suddenly, almost desperately. Her eyes filled with new emotion that wasn't fear or anger, it was sadness. "I would have thought that over time you would have moved on from what had happened, forgotten even."

"Forgotten!" Samar snapped back, his smile vanishing and his black eyes burning with rage. He suddenly released his grip around Feu's neck and held up his right hand, showing her his stumps that were once fingers. "Do you think this is easily forgotten? Do you think I could forget the pain, the anger, the humiliation you put me through?" Samar began pacing up and down in front of Feu, his fury quite clear, but Feu remained still. "I swore I would make you pay for what you have done Feu, and I keep my promises."

"So tell me then," Feu said suddenly, it seemed that she had lost patience in playing this little game with Samar. "What is your grand plan for revenge? Taking over Camelot? By the way people have fallen for you, it seems that you're half way there."

Samar stopped pacing suddenly, he relaxed, smiled even. "Perhaps one day, but no," he said. "But let us not bicker in the Castle walls of a Kingdom neither of us truly respect. Let us do it the old fashioned way."

"What's that?" Feu demanded, she seemed even more uneasy now he had mentioned this, as if she already knew what the 'old fashioned way' was.

"A fight," Samar told her. "Away from here, in the forest. Just you and me. You've come of age now, let's see who's the more powerful one out of the two."

Whether this was what Feu was expecting Samar to say, Merlin wasn't sure, but she had suddenly gone very pale. "A fight?" She repeated, and swallowed nervously. "I...Samar, I'm not ready for a fight. I'm not well enough-"

"And I've lost two fingers!" Samar almost yelled back in her face, and Feu shrank against the wall. "That makes us even don't you think?"

Feu looked up at him with wide, fearful eyes. "But—" she began.

"No buts Feu," Samar interrupted harshly. "No excuses. Either we fight to the death, or," Samar suddenly stepped closer to Feu, so their faces were barely inches apart, "I'll just kill you now." He smiled cruelly, showing his bright white teeth.

Merlin had an urge to jump out and break the two apart before anything happened, but for some reason he still remained motionless. He silently cursed himself for being such a coward, for doing nothing. But if he stepped out, Samar might try to kill him and Feu.

There was nothing he could do now, as it seemed that Feu had come to her decision. She sighed and nodded sadly. "A fight it is then," she mumbled.

Samar smiled again, and stepped back. "Good," he said in a voice that was far from good. "And why wait? Shall we make it tomorrow night?"

Again Feu hesitated, she wanted to say something, Merlin could see from her face that she did not want to fight, no matter where or when. But it seemed she had not choice. She gave another small nod. "Tomorrow night, midnight."

Samar screwed up his nose at this, but he was still smiling. He laughed, "midnight? How traditional, but whatever you say Feu. You brought this upon yourself, so it's only fair you chose the time when you shall meet your maker."

Feu said nothing; she just gazed down at the floor.

"Tomorrow at midnight it is then Feu." Samar said, stepping back a little further. He seemed satisfied by how this discussion had gone. "In the forest, I'm sure you'll be able to work out where exactly. I'll see you then."

Silence followed this, Samar waited to see if Feu had anything more to say, but the silence was a sign that the conversation had come to its end. He was about to move off when Feu suddenly spoke. Her tone had changed from one full of fear to something with more strength, with more confidence, with more power. "Just one more thing Samar."

Samar stopped, and turned slowly back to her, his mouth had become a straight, hard line, and he scowled with annoyance. "Yes?"

"It's taken you a very long time to come and find me, you could have done it a long time ago. Or you could wait another ten years; does it really make a difference? Which leads me to the question, is there any other reason you're here?"

Samar continued to scowl at Feu, but when he spoke he sounded a little worried. "What do you mean?"

Feu looked up at him; "you're not working for someone are you?"

By the way Samar hesitated, Merlin knew that Feu was right. "I don't know what you're talking about," Samar scoffed.

"I think you do, and I think I know who you're working for as well." Feu told him, her bright eyes glittering, suddenly there had been a change in power. Not that Samar was going to admit this.

"I thought after all this time Feu, you would have learnt to keep your mouth shut." Samar snapped at her. "I have nothing more to say to you until tomorrow night. Goodbye Feu."

And before Feu could say anything else, Samar turned and swept out of the corridor.

With a deep sigh, and sadness clouding her eyes, Feu walked slowly off in the opposite direction, head down. Merlin watched her leave, wishing that he had done something, even if it was just to step out now and comfort her, but it was too late now. Feu had already disappeared down the corridor.

Merlin remained motionless for a few moments, thinking. He had not considered if perhaps Samar had been working for someone, he just assumed that he had come at his own free well. If Samar was working for someone, Merlin was pretty sure who it would be. But he found it difficult to believe that Morgana would do such a thing. But he would have to ponder on that later, there were much more important things to worry about.

Feu was right; she was certainly not fit enough for a fight. But was there anything Feu could do to stop it? She would try, but would anything truly work? If someone made sure Samar left the City, she would be safe, but who would do that? If all else failed, Merlin knew that someone was going to have to take her place.


	13. Chapter 13

_Again not happy with this chapter, but I'm still ill, so what can you do? Warning: it's going to be a bit angsty!_

_Only one review for the last chapter! ):_

Chapter 13

Arthur barely heard the tentative knocking at the door over the thoughts running through his head. He had just finished doing his training, he had taken all his armour off, but his sword was still strapped to his belt. He looked up from the other side of his bed at the door of his chambers.

"Come in." He called out.

The door opened hardly an inch, so that only a very slim person would be able to slip through. It shouldn't have really taken him by surprise then, when he saw the person entering his chambers was Feu, but surprised he was. He had just been thinking about her, wondering what made her disappear in the middle of the celebration the night before. Not that he had noticed she was gone or anything…

"Feu," Arthur tried not to sound as surprised as he felt; though it didn't work. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

Feu gave him a small smile, but there was worry in her face. "I need to talk to you," she told him in a quiet mumble.

"I had gathered that," Arthur told her in a surprisingly cheery voice. He didn't seem to be aware of the fact that Feu was more worried than she looked.

After a few moments hesitation Feu stepped further into Arthur's chamber. Arthur didn't recall her looking as pale the night before. It was another few moments before Feu spoke, she didn't know why she felt so nervous all of a sudden, she needed to tell someone who might be able to help her. She gathered the remaining courage left in her soul, and looked up at Arthur. "It's about Samar." She explained.

"Samar?" Arthur repeated.

"Yes, the tall, dark haired man who was at the celebration yesterday."

Arthur nodded, "yes I know who he is. I was wondering why you wanted to speak about him."

Feu hesitated again for a few moments, thinking about what to say. "What do you think about him?"

"I think he's a great man," Arthur told her, standing up and making his way around his bed. He didn't seem to notice Feu's eyes suddenly turn as hard as stone.

"Why?" She demanded.

Arthur shrugged, "why ever not? He's friendly and respectful; he just…" Arthur was surprised he couldn't really think of any more to say about Samar. "He just seems like a good man. He got along with everyone at the celebration—"

"No," Feu interrupted harshly. "There was one person he didn't get along with last night."

"Let me guess," Arthur said with a sigh. He would like to have a normal conversation with Feu, but he had feeling this was going to turn into an argument, as they always seemed to. "You."

Feu didn't nod, she remained perfectly still, as if she had been turned to stone, but Arthur knew he was right even before she spoke, "yes. Because I know who he is."

Arthur couldn't help but laugh at what he thought was a ludicrous statement. "What's that supposed to mean?" He demanded.

"He's not as he seems Arthur, I know who he really is."

"How? Did you know him before then? Did you both go on walks together through the dark forest?" Arthur joked.

Feu's cold eyes had no time for amusement; she simply stared at Arthur with a mixture of horror and disgust at his joke. "Is there still a bit of rum left in your system?" She demanded.

Arthur hesitated; he couldn't understand what was making Feu so grumpy. The feeling seemed to be spreading, as he was beginning to feel angry too. "No, although I don't know what's made you think you know Samar more than I do and assume that he's a bad man."

"You only met him last night!" Feu pointed out, irritated by Arthur's idiocy, she seemed to have forgotten it was because of Samar's spell. "I've known him before he came here Arthur, and he's a bad man. Trust me Arthur," she snapped as Arthur rolled his eyes "because that's the truth. He's nothing but trouble. You'll regret not doing anything if you don't believe me!"

But her words seemed to fall on deaf ears. Arthur just sat on his bed, shaking his head sadly as if he was trying to believe Feu as best he could, or he had just assumed that Feu had gone mad.

"Well then it seems you're dumber than I thought." Feu snapped at Arthur, anger building insider her. She hoped Arthur would at least try and understand, he was the only one with the power to do something. He could send Samar away from the City, and she would be safe. But instead he was just sitting there, shaking his head as if there weren't any lives at stake. Would he even care if Samar killed her tonight? He certainly wasn't acting as if he cared.

Arthur's ears went slightly pink as she said this; "at least I'm not paranoid and delusional!" He retorted. "Is there anything else you like to tell me? Anyone else who's turned against me recently!"

"Yes!" Feu replied, before thinking about whether this was the best thing to say in the situation.

Arthur couldn't help but laugh at this, "oh really, who?" He asked with mock interest.

"Morgana."

Arthur couldn't control himself; the tension was building more and more in the room, as if there was a fire and the place was being filled with thick, deadly smoke. He burst out laughing. Feu stared down at him, horrified.

"I've warned you about her before Arthur, and I don't really see how you could find this so funny!" Her eyes flashed bright green as anger swelled up inside her.

At the sight of this, Arthur stopped laughing. "You turn against everyone don't you Feu." He hissed at her, "Samar, Morgana, and by the looks of it, now me! I think living all alone in the forest has gone to your head a little bit, or are you just used to people hating you?"

"At least I'm not proud of who I am!" Feu yelled back at him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Arthur demanded.

"You," Feu growled. "You think you're so great, the perfect, handsome Prince who everyone loves, who everyone respects and you think you know everything. You're proud of the fact that your father is a tyrant King, proud of the fact your weak, barron mother is rotting in her early grave because of you."

The colour suddenly drained out of Arthur's face, but as the words sunk in, it was immediately placed with red anger. "My father is not a tyrant!" He yelled back.

"Oh really? How many innocent people have been killed because of his obsessive hatred? You've watched it happen Arthur, you know it's true. And yet you just stand there, and tell yourself that one day you'll do something about it, and yet still the body count rises."

The two had begun to circle around Arthur's chamber now, eyes never leaving each other, both of their faces were red with anger and Feu's eyes were constantly flashing green and dying down again. Arthur couldn't understand how he could ever have felt sympathy for this creature, worried about her, even had deeper feelings for her he couldn't admit to. It had all been replaced with anger as each word that was said got worse and worse, and dug into the heart deeper and deeper.

"At least I know who my father is!" Arthur told her. "You're just saying this because you didn't have one! At least my mother wasn't a monster, like your one is, or should I say was. Although I wouldn't be surprised if she's still alive and just ran off to get away from you."

In response to this, Feu's green eyes glowed brighter then ever, and she hissed angrily, revealing her long, sharp fangs. Arthur had been ready for this, and he drew his sword.

The two were about to lunge upon each other, forgetting all possible consequences, when the door opened and Merlin walked in.

Merlin stared, horror struck, at the commotion before him. He had heard shouting from the corridor, but had not imagined to come across a scene like this. Arthur, standing there with his sword drawn, so much anger bubbling inside him he would not hesitate to take a blow at Feu. And Feu had her sharp fangs and claws, ready to do as much damage as possible.

When the two turned and saw Merlin standing there, staring at them, the green in Feu's eyes died down, and Arthur lowered his sword.

"What is going on in here?" Merlin demanded into the silence, shocked and angry.

"Nothing's wrong Merlin," Feu said sweetly, smiling as if nothing had happened. "Arthur's just having a bit of a tantrum at the moment."

"Yes, because you don't know how to keep your mad bitch under control," Arthur fumed.

Feu's fake smile fell, and she looked angry again. "Just pop off to the whore house like a good little boy Arthur, we know you like to cool down there." She snapped at him.

"I—" Arthur stared, shocked at Feu. He had never been to one of those places, he never would. He didn't like them, he thought they were horrible places. The fact that Feu thought he would even go to a place like that was almost as bad as the insultments she had already thrown at him. But then he composed himself, "no," he said calmly, "I wouldn't want to disturb your work place."

Feu went bright red at this, and her eyes glowed green again, she opened her mouth again, either to show Arthur her fangs, to shout something back at him or to try and attack him again. Arthur rose his sword, preparing for what might come next.

"Enough!" Merlin was surprised at how loud he could shout and how fierce he sounded. It certainly seemed to do the trick, as once more Feu and Arthur stood down again, and looked slightly ashamed. Feu opened her mouth, preparing to place the blame on Arthur, but Merlin spoke first. "I don't want to hear any more. I think you both need some time to calm down," he told them. He stood aside so that they path to the door lay clear.

Feu took the hint, but she didn't like it. She glared up at Merlin as she stormed out the room, not glancing back at Arthur.

Arthur opened his mouth to say something, but the hard look on Merlin's face stopped him.

"I said I don't want to hear any more Arthur." Merlin said sternly. And he turned and followed Feu out the room. Leaving Arthur with a horrible jolt as he realised that if Merlin hadn't come in, something terrible might have happened.


	14. Chapter 14

_Sorry it's a bit of a short chapter, it's meant to be a dramatic one, but it probably isn't. Oh well, hope you like it!_

_I'm afraid this will be my last update for a few days, as it's getting ever closer to Christmas so it's going to be busy! Don't worry, I'll be back soon (:_

_Reviews been a bit low recently, I suppose because at this time of year everyone's crazy busy, so I expect after the holidays to have loads of reviews! Haha, only joking, but if you could PLEASE find some time could you review I will be very grateful (:_

_Anyway, enough of the nagging, have a good Christmas everyone! See you soon! (: _

_xxx_

Chapter 14

Night had fallen over Camelot, and along with it came silence as if everyone was still, and sleeping peacefully. But Feu felt no peace where she sat in Merlin's chamber; instead she felt dread and fear wrapping around her stomach like a boa constrictor. Dark rings sat under her eyes as Feu gazed down at the floor, thinking about everything, apart from how time was ticking closer to midnight.

Despite feeling guilty about the argument, Feu had not yet gone to apologise to Arthur about what she said. She didn't mean a word of it, but while deep down she still burned with rage at the thought of how stupidly he acted and the things he had said to her, she knew it was probably safe to keep a distance for while. He might not even be ready to accept her apology yet, but as time ticked by, he may never get one.

Arthur had been Feu's only hope of getting rid of Samar. She thought he was the only one who would see enough sense and who would have enough power to force Samar to leave the City. As soon as Samar was out of the City walls Feu could feel safe again, but he was still in Camelot, and it seemed that he would never leave.

The only person left to tell was Merlin, but Samar had already threatened Feu that if Merlin knew anything about him, someone would end up hurt, and she knew Samar meant Merlin. If anything went wrong that night and Merlin found out and tried to do something about it, he would be Samar's first victim. Just the thought that he would die because of her tore at Feu's heart. Merlin had already got in to trouble because of her; she didn't want anything else to happen. Merlin was a good person; he deserved to continue living his life, whether or not Feu came home tomorrow.

Little did Feu know, that Merlin knew everything, and was already planning something.

Just then, the door opened and Merlin walked into his chambers, Feu didn't look up at him, but she was glad of his presnece. Neither said anything as he sat down beside her; Feu briefly wondered where he had been.

"Has Arthur forgiven me yet?" She asked into the silence.

"Well I think he's calmed down a little bit now." Merlin told her gently. "He's not one for holding grudges, not really. I'm sure he'll be fine soon."

Feu rested her head against Merlin's shoulder, the only place she truly felt safe at the moment. "Tell him I'm sorry about what happened," she said.

"Can't you do it yourself?" Merlin asked, knowing fully well why she couldn't tell him, because he knew exactly what was going to happen that night. Or what Feu thought was going to happen.

"I think it's better if I keep my distance for a while," Feu mumbled.

Silence followed this, in which Merlin put a comforting arm around Feu, and she gave a small smile.

"What are you going to do about Samar?" Merlin asked, wondering if it was worth trying to get the truth out of Feu, then maybe she would accept his help.

But Feu just shrugged. "We'll just have to see what happens, as long as he doesn't hurt anyone." She looked up at Merlin, "you believe me don't you? You know that Samar's bad?"

"Of course I do," Merlin told her. "He can't fool me."

Feu didn't look so sure. She sighed, "if only there was some way of breaking the spell. It's only a small spell, like a thin mist that's been draped over the mind, but it's effective enough to make sure no one will doubt Samar. I know some spells that might work, but not completely. My mother taught some spells to me, but it's been a long time since I've practise any magic."

Merlin shrugged, "I'm sure there are lots of spells, but sometimes it only needs a shock for people to realise reality."

There was another moment of silence as Feu thought about what might give Arthur a big enough shock for him to realise reality. Perhaps when she disappeared into the forest and turned up dead the next day, he might see the truth.

"I love you." Merlin said suddenly.

Feu looked up at him, surprised. She was about to tell him the same thing, as this might be the last time they sat together. There was always a chance that she could defeat Samar, but he was a lot stronger than she will ever be. Feu wondered why Merlin had suddenly announced this into the silence, as if he was the one leaving her. But she didn't want to become suspicious. There wasn't enough time to turn against anyone else.

"I know," she murmured. "I love you too. And whatever happens in my life, you'll forgive me won't you?" She added.

"Of course," Merlin nodded, he didn't seem to be phased by this random comment as Feu thought he should be. "As long as you would do the same for me."

Feu nodded silently. She had a feeling that something wasn't quite right, there was something Merlin wasn't telling her, but she said nothing.

"You look like you need some sleep," Merlin said.

Feu shook her head, "I'm fine," she murmured, but she felt exhausted. She needed sleep, but she knew she wouldn't be able to get to sleep, and there probably wasn't any time to either.

It fell silent again; Merlin took this opportunity to pull Feu slightly closer to him, she didn't complain or wonder why. He lowered his head and whispered something almost silently in her ear. Gold flashed in his eyes.

Before Feu had time to realise, or even think about what he had said, her eyes were closing and her body relaxing. She didn't even seem to notice that she was drifting off to sleep, her head still resting on Merlin's shoulder, her worries disappearing as peaceful darkness drew in.

Merlin got up and carefully laid her on his bed. He wasn't sure what Feu was going to say when she woke up and realised that he had made her fall asleep. Hopefully she wouldn't be able to remember what he had whispered in her ear. He felt guilty for doing it, but he knew that there was no other way. Merlin just kept reminding himself that he was doing it for her, he couldn't sneak away while Feu was still awake; she might realise what he was doing. This might be the only safest option for Feu, because she couldn't die, not again, especially not because of someone like Samar.

Closing the door quietly behind him, Merlin left his chambers without looking back. He walked out into the night, ignoring the cold air that bit into his skin, there were more important things to think about. Time was already ticking towards midnight.

Merlin turned and headed off to the forest.


	15. Chapter 15

_Hope everyone had a good Christmas, I'll just ruin the festive mood by announcing that my updates have returned! Haha_

_A lot of dialogue in this chapter, but I'm sure we'll recover. Please review (:_

Chapter 15

"Arthur?"

Arthur opened his eyes blearily and groaned, he hated to think what time it was, and hated to think why he was being disturbed when it was still pitch dark, or maybe it was just dark because nothing had come into focus yet.

"Arthur?" The voice whispered again, a little more urgently.

Things were beginning to fall into focus, and Arthur suddenly found himself staring at a very large, very blue eye.

"Arthur!" The eye hissed again.

Arthur yelled and leapt out of bed, the person who had awoken him also jumped back, surprised at his reaction.

"Feu!" Arthur almost shouted. He felt himself almost immediately going red with embarrassment; he didn't like finding a girl suddenly appearing in his room in the middle of the night when he was wearing nothing apart from a pair of trousers. "What was that for!" He demanded, hastily looking for a shirt to put on, while Feu watched his frantic searching with mild amusement.

"You wouldn't wake up," Feu explained, she paused. "You know you should really keep your door locked at night, anyone could just wander in."

"Yes I think I've already discovered the consequences of that!" Arthur snapped back, finally finding a clean shirt and quickly slipping it on. He turned around to see that Feu was still staring at him. "What do you want Feu?" He asked.

There was a pause where Feu seemed to remember why she was there. Her eyes were suddenly filled with worry and any sign of amusement on her face drained away as quickly as water running through cupped hands. "It's Merlin." She mumbled.

Arthur could hear the concern in Feu's voice, and when she said Merlin's name he too began to feel worried. "Merlin?" He repeated, "what about him?"

"I can't find him," Feu explained.

Arthur sighed; he was expecting something a little more dramatic than that. "Have you tried searching his chambers? That's where he probably is, asleep like any normal person would be," Arthur told her. He had seen Merlin that very afternoon so he would have only been missing for a few hours, what was Feu worrying about?

"He's not there!" Feu burst out suddenly. "I went to sleep, I didn't mean to! I shouldn't have gone to sleep, it's past midnight now, I've missed my chance. And now Merlin's gone! I looked for him, I looked everywhere where he could be, but I can't find him anywhere! There's only one place left where he might be, but I dare not go there, I can't understand if he is there, how did he know? I—"

Feu's voice was getting louder and more high pitched and her pace was getting faster and faster. Arthur had to shush her before she woke up half the castle. "Feu calm down, you're not making any sense. What's happening at midnight?" He asked.

It seemed however that Feu wasn't going to calm down. When she spoke again her voice was quieter and slower, but she was now pacing up and down Arthur's chambers. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you!" Feu snapped.

"That's not helping," Arthur sighed, he was beginning to hope that this was all just a dream. "You think Merlin's disappeared because something's going to happen at midnight?"

Feu froze as if he had just said her worst nightmare. She nodded silently.

"So, what's going to happen at midnight?" Arthur asked, wondering how long this was going to take.

"A fight," Feu mumbled, her eyes widening with fear just at the thought.

"A fight? With whom?"

"Samar."

Arthur rolled his eyes, "not Samar again. What trouble do you think he's causing now?"

"It's not trouble he's causing!" Feu tried to tell Arthur, but found it hard to explain. How could Arthur believe anything she was telling him? But suddenly she realised something, and stopped. "Of course, he's gone out of the City, that means his spell's weakened. So all that's needed is a small shock, a small spell, and then the mist will be cleared."

"Feu what are you talking about?" Arthur demanded, now thoroughly confused.

Feu didn't reply, she had turned her back on Arthur and was muttering something in a language that Arthur couldn't understand, and made him feel very uneasy. He was about to speak again when Feu suddenly whipped around and with as much force she could muster, slapped Arthur over the face. Arthur was so surprised he almost fell over. He had to grab onto the bedpost for support, and had to stifle a cry of surprise and pain.

"Ow! What was that for!" He demanded.

Feu seemed quite satisfied. "Did that surprise you?" She asked.

"Yes because I have no idea what it was for!" Arthur almost yelled at her, rubbing his throbbing cheek.

"Well now I can try again," Feu said as calmly as possible. "Let me spell it out for you Arthur." Arthur scowled, he didn't like being treated like a child, but he said nothing just in case he got another slap. "Samar's a bad man. A very bad man. He hates me because we got into a fight and I bit off his fingers. He challenged me to a fight in the forest at midnight. A fight to the death I was afraid because I thought nothing would save me from the deadly fight. Samar's stronger than me, I wouldn't survive. I tried to talk to you but you were useless. Merlin comforted me as if he knew exactly what was going on. I accidentally fell asleep and when I wake up Merlin had vanished! Do you see now Arthur? Do you finally understand what's going on? Merlin's found out that Samar's challenged me for a fight, and he's taken my place!"

Silence fell. Arthur did nothing but stare dumbstruck at Feu for a few moments, still rubbing his red cheek. Feu folded her arms and waited for him to respond, her face filled with panic but she still managed to remain calm. Her hand still burned from hitting Arthur in the face, she hoped it had done the trick.

As the words settled in, Arthur suddenly felt like he had been hit by a sledgehammer rather than a hand. He sunk down onto his bed, trying to unfathom the peculiar feeling that had come over him.

He felt like he could suddenly see clearly, even though he wasn't blind. Feu's explanations about Samar no longer seemed ridiculous; they seemed believable, maybe even true. He suddenly felt like a fool for trusting someone he barely knew, and not listening to someone like Feu. He suddenly felt like he shouldn't trust Samar at all, there was definitely something bad about him, something that made his once angry blood run cold.

Three words were now spinning around Arthur's head, which seemed to make everything become clear:

_Merlin is missing, Merlin is missing, Merlin is missing…_

"Oh," was all Arthur managed to say.

Feu nodded, she was hoping for a longer response, but she could see by the shocked look on his face that the words had sunk in.

"Merlin thinks he can defeat Samar Arthur, but he is not aware of the power Samar has. Samar is a magical being Arthur, and what's worse is that he is full of hatred and evil. Even if I hadn't met him before I would have known he was trouble, because he stinks Arthur. He smells of dead bodies, of blood, of fire. And Merlin's defenceless against him."

Arthur still remained silent.

"I need your help Arthur!" Feu implored a little more desperately, unable to understand why Arthur was still sitting there like a dumbstruck cabbage. "We need to find Merlin and stop Samar before he does any damage!" There was a pause. "I cannot do it alone."

"Well what are we still doing here?" Arthur cried out suddenly, jumping up. There was no point denying now that Samar was a bad person, and now Merlin had disappeared. "If you know that Merlin needs help, do you know where he is?"

There was a slight pause, "not exactly," Feu confessed, "but it won't be difficult smelling him out."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Arthur demanded.

Feu grinned at this response; this was just what she wanted to hear. "Let's go then!" She cried.

Grabbing a sword, pulling on his boots and quickly putting on a leather jacket, Arthur followed Feu as she ran out of his chambers and down the corridor. He shouted instructions down to her that they needed to get to the stables, he no longer cared if they woke up half the castle now, Merlin was in trouble.

They reached the stables, and Arthur quickly saddled the fastest horse they had to hand. The horse seemed just as distressed as Feu felt, as she bounced up and down the entrance of the stables, glancing around as if she was expecting Samar to jump out at them at any moment.

"Don't you need a horse?" Arthur asked.

Feu shook her head, "I can run," she told him.

Arthur doubted if Feu would be able to keep up with a horse, but he didn't argue, there was no time.

There was a brief silence while Arthur got the horse ready; a tricky job to do when all the light he had was from the stars and the moon. Feu suddenly stopped jumping and down, and stood still.

"I'm sorry Arthur," she said suddenly.

"Sorry for what?" Arthur asked, wondering if she was apologising for dragging him out in the middle of the night. That didn't matter any more, a friend had their life on the line.

"For the argument we had earlier on. I shouldn't have said those things," Feu muttered, slightly embarrassed.

"Oh," Arthur paused, "it's OK." He told her, "I'm sorry too. I didn't mean anything I said. And if I knew what was going to happen tonight, I would have listened to you."

The small smile on Feu's face told Arthur that she had accepted his apology. He quickly swung himself onto the horse.

"Ready?" Feu asked, preparing herself as if she was just about to run a race.

Arthur nodded.

And Feu suddenly pelted off into the darkness. Arthur kicked his horse hurriedly, chasing after her, and they were off into the black night.

Arthur just hoped they would reach Merlin in time.


	16. Chapter 16

_Last day of 2010 everyone! Or maybe by the time you read this, it will be 2011 :O Anyway, hope everyone had a good year, of course every year comes with ups and downs, but as long as we had more ups than downs, and some memories to take with us to 2011, I think we can call that a success (: Gee, who would have thought this story was going to end up going into another year! :S_

_Oh, and brand new series of Primeval is starting new years' day! :D…no idea why I'm telling you this, because this is a Merlin fanfic, but hey ho. For those of you who are Primeval fans, yaay! And watch it! ;)_

_Anyway, happy New Year everyone and please review! (:_

Chapter 16

Merlin wasn't sure how he made his way through the darkness without getting lost or walking into anything, but he managed it somehow. The cold night stars guided him out of the safety of the City through the forest. He used his magic to track where Samar had been and followed them as silently as possible. He wondered how Samar was going to react when he saw that it was not Feu that had come to face him, but a mere servant.

Whatever Merlin thought the reaction might be, it certainly wasn't the one he was expecting.

Samar stood in a small clearing surrounded by tall, ancient trees. He had his back to Merlin when Merlin entered the clearing. The only sound he heard was his deep breathing in his ears and the thudding of his worried heart. He stopped dead a few feet before Samar.

He just hoped that, whatever happened, Feu would forgive him.

Before Merlin could do anything else, Samar moved. He shifted silently from foot to foot, and Merlin had a feeling he heard the man chuckle, before he turned around.

Samar did not seem at all surprised to see Merlin standing there, in fact he grinned as if he had been expecting it all along and the whole thing was quite amusing. He laughed a deep, low, horrible laugh before he spoke.

"Hello Merlin, fancy meeting you here." He said pleasantly and casually.

Merlin stood frozen to the spot, unsure of what to do next, it almost sounded like Samar was _pleased _to see him. Already, it seemed that things were not going as planned.

"May I ask Merlin," Samar continued, not bothering to wait for a reply, "where's Feu?"

"Feu's not coming," Merlin told him after slight hesitation. He tried to sound strong and brave, but his voice quivered. "I have come to take her place."

"Oh?" Samar tried to sound concerned and interested in this news, but he was still smiling. He shrugged, "never mind, as long as someone dies tonight it is all I ask. It might be better this way, killing someone Feu loves instead of killing Feu. Hmmm yes I think breaking her heart is a more satisfying sort of revenge."

Merlin said nothing; he remained motionless, preparing himself for the battle that was about to come. He knew the words Samar said were just meant to weaken him, but it seemed that Samar did not want the fight to start yet.

"Before we begin with the unpleasantness, let's have a little chat Merlin." Samar said as casually as if they were old friends having a normal conversation.

Hairs were beginning to stand on the back of Merlin's neck; he really didn't like where this was going. "I didn't come here for a chat Samar, I came here for a fight."

"So did I Merlin, but I want to clear a few things first. There are things that I feel you need to know, before I kill you."

The wait was agonising, but Merlin remained calm. "What?"

"I feel sorry for you, I really do, to have someone you're so close to keeping secrets from you and you think they're being truthful and honest." Samar tried to sound sympathetic, but he was having far too much fun. He paused, "but you would know all about keeping secrets won't you?" He grinned.

"What are you talking about!" Merlin demanded.

"Feu. She's not all as she seems Merlin, and there are some things she hasn't told you, which she really should have, because now they may just cost you your life."

Merlin remained silent, waiting for Samar to continue.

"Feu doesn't know much about her parents, but she knows enough. She knows that her mother was a Doe, she never met her father, but she knows that he was not like her mother at all. He wasn't a Doe, he was human."

Merlin hesitated, "I still don't understand—" he began.

"She's a halfling!" Samar burst out suddenly, he sounded angry. Samar turned his back on Merlin and ran his hands through his hair. "She's half Doe, half human. You assumed that she was a Doe because she was the only one you had met, but you soon realise she's not like a real Doe. She can't run as fast, she doesn't have as much power of magic and her senses are not as strong. She is afraid of what she is, she is not proud." Samar explained bitterly. "Her mother trained her well before she was killed, but that doesn't stop her from being what she really is. A fake, nothing but a halfling!" He spat.

Merlin said nothing; he wasn't sure what to say.

"And yet still she could defeat me! A halfling, a child, became one of my only victims that managed to escape! Well all that's going to change," Samar growled. "You thought she was a Doe, so you assumed that she was about as strong and powerful as a Doe could get. Well you're wrong, they have more power, more magic than Feu will ever have and the ignorance of this knowledge will be the death of you Merlin!"

"I don't understand," Merlin said slowly. How could this lack of knowledge be the death of him?

Samar hesitated, his body became rigid, and suddenly Merlin felt very afraid. Suddenly Samar turned around.

"Because I am one!" He hissed.

This was the last thing Merlin had been expecting. Samar had changed, transformed. His eyes were glowing bright, emerald green through the dark and his bright white teeth had now turned into long, pointed fangs, longer and sharper than Feu's. Longer, black claws had no replaced his fingernails. Samar hissed again like a snake, the sound rumbling from deep within his chest.

The combination of this with Samar's powerful height and stance like a tiger's, dark hair and eyes that seemed to glow with evil, made him seem like some sort of demon, and filled Merlin with terror. He backed away slowly, terrified.

Samar laughed, but when he spoke again his voice was full of anger and hatred. "Did that surprise you Merlin? I hope so; I do like surprises, nasty surprises. Do you know how long I've had to control my anger? Pretend I was nothing but a mere human? People cower at the sight of me! They always do, but then _she_ came along and ruined my life! I felt like a complete fool, she had tricked me into thinking I was human, I did not know she was a halfling until her fangs sank into my fingers! But now she'll pay for what she's done!" Samar suddenly calmed, and he chuckled again. "The taste of revenge is so sweet. I am going to enjoy this Merlin."

And he came towards Merlin, clawed hand raised. Merlin found himself stumbling backwards unable to keep balance, unable to keep his footing on the uneven ground as the monster came closer.

Merlin tried to stop Samar from coming any closer. Samar had the element of surprise, but so did he. Using his magic, he made the roots from the trees around Samar wrap themselves around his feet. Samar didn't realise he was tangled up until he found that he could not move any closer. He looked down at his feet, and then back up at Merlin.

"What?" He demanded, "you think I should be surprised? I know about your powers Merlin, I could smell your magic. I could even smell it when you were hiding from me and Feu, watching us have our conversation. She was distracted, she didn't know, but I knew that it was you, and that you would stop her from coming to this fight."

This was not what Merlin had been expecting, he hadn't thought that Samar might have worked out about his magic. Now he knew this, he almost felt powerless. Merlin knew he had to do something while Samar was still stuck.

But Samar knew magic as well; he looked calmly down at his feet and shouted "_Uro_!" And the roots caught flame and burned down at his feet.

Samar looked up at Merlin again, smiling, his fangs still perturbing from his mouth and he began to advance towards Merlin again.

Panicking, Merlin found himself frozen to the spot once more, unsure of what to do. He didn't even realise he was creating magic until Samar's outstretched hand collided and bounced off something invisible. For a moment, Samar looked as surprised as Merlin felt, but then he smiled again.

"A protective shield?" He said, "very clever Merlin. But I think you're going to have to try harder than that."

With one swift movement, Samar picked up a tree branch that was lying on the ground. He hissed something under his breath, gold fire danced in his eyes as he smashed the tree branch into the invisible shield, and it smashed as if it was only made of a thin layer of glass.

Merlin stared, horrified.

Samar laughed cruelly; "I told your ignorance would be the death of you Merlin!" He raised his hand as if to hit Merlin, but instead Merlin felt himself being thrown through the air by an invisible force, only to be stopped when his back and head collided with a tree.

Shocked and dazed, Merlin somehow managed to struggle back up to his feet, and duck just in time as what looked like a ball of fire came hurtling from Samar's hand towards his face. He could hear Samar still laughing, as if the whole thing was nothing but a game.

Thinking quickly, Merlin used his mind to raise the tree branch Samar had discarded up into the air. It arched through the black night and sped towards Samar. But with a simple flick of Samar's hand the branch burst into a thousand blackened pieces before it reached him.

Knowing that Samar was going to retaliate to this attack, Merlin was prepared to defend himself. He was surprised when he saw a streak of blue-white lightning suddenly stretch out of Samar's hand towards him, but he managed to deflect it. Sending it up through the trees into the sky.

Samar grinned, he was quite impressed by Merlin's skill, but he was still the more powerful one. He began advancing towards Merlin again, picking up anything that lay in his way – rocks, branches, logs, and threw them at Merlin. Merlin managed to deflect them easily with his magic, and tried to throw them back at Samar. But he always missed.

Knowing that this was going to get him nowhere, Merlin decided to make a run for it. If he got a fair distance from Samar, he might be able to use more powerful magic to defeat him, and anything went wrong, he could always try to run back to Camelot, where he might be safe.

But Samar had been expecting this, he ran after Merlin, catching up with him with ease. Merlin knew what he was going to do when he saw the cruel look in Samar's eyes, but he was unable to do anything before it was too late.

Once more, Merlin found himself being pushed through the air by some invisible force; he crashed to the ground within a dense patch of trees.

Here, the darkness was almost complete. The trees had blocked out the stars and the moon, and Samar was casting no lightning or fireballs that would give him any light. Merlin didn't know where Samar was, he wondered if perhaps Samar had thrown him too far, and had now lost him within the depths of the trees. Merlin struggled to his feet, thinking quickly, wondering if he should go back and fight or try and flee before Samar found him.

But before he could make his decision, Merlin felt movement in front of him. Samar was near. He was just about to try and escape within the trees when a firm hand suddenly gripped his throat.

Merlin gasped, but as the hand grew tighter he couldn't utter another sound or even breath. He couldn't see anything through the darkness, but very soon he wouldn't be able to see anything at all. He couldn't struggle against the iron grip that was slowly squeezing the life out of him. Merlin desperately tried to think of some sort of magic spell that would be able to free him from Samar, there had to be something, there was always something that came just before it was too late.

But every last ounce of thought and hope died within Merlin as he suddenly felt the cold blade of a dagger that was being held in Samar's other hand press against his chest.

Somewhere just in front of him in the darkness, Samar laughed.

"Goodbye Merlin," he whispered.


	17. Chapter 17

_Sorry for the slightly delayed update, could have updated it before, but I wasn't happy with the chapter so I kinda delayed it a little :S_

_Hope the chapter's OK, it's a bit violent, but so was the last one so I'm sure you'll recover. Please review (:_

Chapter 17

Arthur was amazed by how fast Feu ran through the dark night; his horse had trouble keeping up with her. He wasn't sure how long they had been running after some invisible trail only Feu could see, all he knew was that time was running out.

By now they were out of the City, and they hadn't stopped. Only once did Feu pause, she stood on top of a hill, the forest rolling out beneath them. Her keen eyes gazed within the trees, like a bird might do when searching for prey.

"Where to from here?" Arthur asked, he didn't like the way they had suddenly come to a halt, was Feu lost?

Before Feu could reply, a sudden bright light arched up from the trees into the sky. It was shaped like a lighting bolt and was a strange white-blue colour. Arthur stared in amazement as the light died down as quickly as it had appeared.

"That way!" Feu pointed right in the direction of where the strange lighting had come from.

"We're not heading towards _that_ are we?" Arthur didn't know what the lighting thing was, and felt that he didn't want to know.

"Samar's a magical being Arthur, that is his doing!" Feu replied, for some reason finding the need to shout her response over the silent night.

Without waiting for a reply (mainly because there was no time for replies) Feu took off again, running down the hill and towards the trees. Arthur followed; preying that Merlin would be able to survive the fight for long enough until they came to help him.

XXX

Merlin stared into the eyes of Samar, waiting for the end to come. He could almost feel his life draining from him as Samar's grip around his neck refused to loosen. The only thing he could still feel strongly was the blade that was digging into his chest. Within a few moments, it would all be over.

Suddenly, out of the dark, there was a scream. It was not a scream of fear, but a scream of rage and anger.

Something smashed straight into Samar, knocking him off his feet. The shocking force took Merlin with him. He collapsed to the ground, amazed that he could breath again. He gasped for air, fighting off the darkness that was threatening to close in, wondering who or what had attacked Samar and saved him moments before his death.

As things grew slowly back into focus, it didn't take Merlin long to work out who his rescuer was. Not many other people were able to grow fangs and claws and had green eyes like Samar, but Feu's green eyes did not glow with evil, despite her rage, they were oddly beautiful in the night.

Samar easily managed to shake off the hissing Feu, she backed away quickly, but he could see from her stance that she was about to attack again. He raised the dagger, he was a good thrower, the weapon could easily end up imbedded in Feu's neck. But the galloping of hooves distracted him, and he turned just in time to see the Prince of Camelot bursting through the trees on a horse, knocking the dagger easily out of Samar's hand. Samar yelled with rage as he watched his dagger fly into the trees and become lost in the dark.

Samar turned his attention on Arthur. He didn't care if he was a Prince or not, if he wanted a fight he was about to get it. It didn't matter if he was wielding a sword; he could be killed easily.

Before Samar could make his attack, Feu pounced upon him once more, lashing out at him with her hand. He screamed as he felt claws dig into his cheek and then the warmth of his own blood dripping off his face.

With one swift, powerful movement, Samar's hand knocked Feu away from him, she crashed down to the ground a few feet away, hissing and spitting like an angered yet frightened cat. Samar was about to turn and attack Feu, tear her into a thousand pieces if he needed to, but his senses distracted him. He turned around to see the Prince charging at him once more, wielding his sword, ready to drive it into Samar's heart. But Samar had magic, the Prince did not.

Merlin watched, open-mouthed with horror as Samar, who was only inches away from being pierced by Arthur's sword, suddenly disappeared into the night. Arthur's horse reared up in panic, and Arthur himself looked surprised and a little scared.

"What was that?" Arthur demanded, shouting out into the dark. He pulled his horse to a stop and climbed off it, looking around for any sight of Samar.

"I don't know, magic. He'll be back," Arthur could just about hear Feu mumbling. Her mind was on other things than Samar; she had rushed over to Merlin, who was still sitting on the damp ground. "Are you all right?" She asked gently.

Merlin nodded, for some reason unable to find any words. He looked up into Feu's bright eyes and felt more comforted. But then Feu grew concerned again.

"Samar won't be gone for long, he'll be back." She said, she hesitated, feeling something wet on Merlin's shirt. "What's that?" She demanded.

"It's nothing," Merlin said quickly, seeing Feu's face grow pale even in the darkness of the night, knowing that it was blood she could feel. "It's just a scratch Feu, from Samar's knife—"

Merlin never got to finish his sentence. As with a raw, Samar suddenly burst out of the trees, his dagger back in his hands. It happened so quickly only Feu and Merlin's sharp eyes could see. Arthur was too late and too slow to turn and face the enemy. He didn't even see Samar, he just felt his dagger sink deep into his shoulder.

Arthur yelled, dropping his sword. He could feel blood seeping down his shoulder over the terrible stabbing, burning pain as the knife sat imbedded in his shoulder. He heard Samar laugh, and turned to face him, knowing that within a few moments Samar would finish him off. There was nothing he could do, the dagger and the pain had paralysed him.

Before Samar could make another move Feu leapt onto his back. She made a horrible shrieking noise as her claws, once more emerging from her fingers, ripped at Samar's back and shoulders. Samar yelled with pain, but like he had told Merlin, he had a lot more power than Feu, he shook her off as if she was nothing but a rag doll.

Feu fell off Samar's back, and tried to run from him, but she felt his hand gripping her tightly by her arm. She could see through the dark that he was smiling as she tried to pull away from his iron grip. Feu tried to bite at his fingers, like she had done so many years ago, but Samar seemed to know what she was going to do this time and with his free hand he hit her hard around the face.

Feu froze for a few moments, as if she was surprised Samar had hit her. The truth was that he had hit her so hard she was sure she felt her skull shake. Blood dripped down her face, one of Samar's claws had narrowly missed scratching out her eye. She tried to break free of Samar's grip once more, knowing what he was probably going to try and do next, but still Samar was too strong.

With a horrible laugh, Samar let go of Feu's hand, and kicked her in the face. The force of the blow threw Feu off her feet; she landed on her side onto the forest floor, head down, motionless.

"No!" Merlin and Arthur yelled at the same time.

Samar laughed, "don't worry, this is just the start. I'm going to do a lot worse to her while you watch, and then I'll kill all three of you." He advanced towards Feu.

In desperation, Arthur pulled the dagger out of his shoulder. He ignored the pain that almost blinded him and started searching through the dark for his sword. He had to stop Samar before he hurt Feu. But while he looked for his sword his attention was averted for a few moments, and he didn't see Merlin slowly raise his hand.

Something invisible slammed into Samar. An invisible object, or invisible being. Arthur looked up just in time to see Samar thrown to the ground, he picked himself up again quickly, but there was no denying that the fall had injured him in some way, he was limping slightly. Arthur knew it was magic, but he glanced back to Feu's motionless body, and couldn't understand how it had happened. Feu was the only one that could use magic, so what had attacked Samar?

When Arthur looked at Feu and then back at Samar, he saw that Samar was looking straight at him as well, and he was smiling.

"Did that surprise you?" Samar asked Arthur in a horrible, taunting tone. He had to admit he was surprised too, did Arthur really not know about Merlin's powers? It was so obvious, and yet it seems that this dumb Prince was blind. "Mysterious magic out of nowhere, did you not see where it came from?"

Arthur said nothing; he couldn't understand what Samar was saying. Blood was still seeping from his shoulder, and with it seemed to go his senses. He was growing confused, he knew it was from loss of blood and pain, but there was no one that could help him out here in the forest. He had to stay focused, stay awake.

Samar suddenly turned around to face Merlin, who was still sitting in the same place he had been before, watching everything. Arthur couldn't understand why Samar had suddenly turned his attention to Merlin; Merlin hadn't been involved in the attack, had he?

"We've revealed a lot of secrets tonight Arthur, enough to destroy plenty of lives." Samar explained quite coolly and calmly, as if they were having a normal conversation. "But why don't we reveal just one more?"

He strolled over to Merlin, who quickly tried to get up and struggle away, but Samar kicked him in the back of the leg, and with a stifled cry he fell down.

"Leave him alone!" Arthur ordered, his eyes focused on Samar and Merlin, but at the same time his hands tried to feel around in the dark for where he had dropped his sword.

Samar ignored him, and instead kicked Merlin hard in the stomach, so he had to gasp for air. "You don't know his secret Arthur, I was just curious if you wanted to know." Samar explained. He paused, waiting for Arthur to reply, but Arthur said nothing. "Well?" Samar demanded, growing annoyed now. "Don't you want to know, don't you want to know is little secret?"

"Don't listen to him Arthur!" Merlin tried to tell him, but it only resulted in him being kicked in the chest, and then in the stomach again.

"I wasn't talking to you!" Samar snapped.

Still Arthur said nothing; he had assumed that Merlin kept no secrets from him, he assumed that Samar was lying. But now Merlin was telling him not to listen, as if there was a secret he was hiding that he didn't want Samar to tell.

Samar was getting fed up of the silence. "Well Arthur?" He demanded, "don't you want to know Merlin's secret?"

"What secret?" Arthur finally said, he felt like he was fighting the words out of him and he wondered if it was because of confusion or pain.

Merlin knew exactly what secret Samar was threatening to tell. He hoped that Arthur would ignore what Samar was saying, assume that there was no secret, but now he was questioning it. This filled Merlin with despair, he had wanted to tell Arthur about his magic, but just before their deaths was not the way he wanted to tell him. Now Samar was going to reveal anything, and he was as good as dead. He couldn't do anything to stop Samar; he was in so much pain from being kicked over and over again he couldn't get up. If Samar didn't kill him, Arthur would.

Samar grinned, he could tell by the look on Merlin's face that the game was up. "He's—" he began, but he never got a chance to finish his sentence.

Something flew straight into Samar, knocking him into the air. It took a few moments before Merlin and Arthur realised that it was Feu.

Samar landed on his back, Feu on top of him, pinning him to the ground. For a few moments Samar looked scared as he stared up into the snarling eyes and teeth of his enemy. But then he began to laugh uncontrollably. The sound echoed through the deserted forest.

Feu had had enough, with one more snarl, she ripped his throat out.


	18. Chapter 18

_Updating this chapter in a bit of a rush so had no time to read it through, hope it's OK, you'll have to excuse any spelling or grammatical errors you see. If there's anything major please tell me and I'll change it (: reviews much appreciated._

Chapter 18

The horse's hooves pounded on the soft ground, each hoof-beat told them that they were getting further and further away from the forest, where the blood-soaked body of Samar would be lying. Arthur and Merlin rode on the back of the horse, while Feu ran just ahead of them, her keen eyes picking out a path in the dark to take them back to the safety of Camelot.  
As soon as they knew that Samar was dead, Feu seized the horse and helped Arthur and Merlin climb onto it, before setting out into the dark. No one was sure how long they had been riding through into the night, but so far despite the state of his injury, Arthur hadn't complained. He wondered if every now and then he had passed out as his journey on the horse seemed strangely distorted and disorientated. Now however, it was starting to get too much.  
"Stop!" Arthur gasped suddenly into the silence; "we have to stop."  
Feu looked back at Arthur, at first unsure why he demanded a rest, but then she saw his terribly pale face, and the blood still running down his limp arm. She nodded, and the horse ground to a halt.

They were now out of the forest, but had not quite yet reached the safety of the City walls. Even Feu found it hard to tell exactly where they were through the dark. She could tell that they were standing in the middle of a dirt-trodden road, and thought she could make out plain, rolling fields stretching out all around them. There was nothing apart from a large tree, a few boulders and the small lights shining through the night from Camelot.

A large boulder lay just by the edge of the road, and Feu lead Arthur to it, he sat down slowly, his face contorted with pain, Feu sat down beside him and began to examine his shoulder.  
"I could do that," Merlin suggested, wishing that he could help a little more other than watch, he had a feeling that this was all his fault.

"No," said Feu, perhaps a little too quickly. At first Merlin wondered why she didn't want his help, but he thought nothing of it, not thinking that Feu might be trying to save his life once more.

Feu stood up again and, taking Merlin's hand, lead him a few paces away from Arthur.

"I know you're worried about him," Feu told Merlin in a slightly hushed voice, but she wasn't sure why. "But I can take care of him, I've looked after myself for the past ten years, I'm sure I'll be able to tend to his shoulder."

Merlin still wasn't so sure, but he decided to trust Feu. "What can I do?" He asked.

"Go on ahead to Camelot and prepare help, wake Gaius up and explain to him that Arthur is injured, then as soon as I get Arthur back to Camelot he can get some proper care."

Merlin nodded, knowing it made sense, and still unaware of the real reason why Feu wanted to stay behind with Arthur.

There was a brief silence.

"Thank you," said Feu suddenly with a small smile.

"Thank you for what?" Merlin asked, he had a feeling that all he had caused so far this night was trouble. But at the same time he knew that if he had a choice, he would do the whole night again, because if he hadn't stepped in, it would have been Feu instead.

"You saved my life," Feu pointed out.

"And you saved mine," Merlin added.

Feu didn't seem to agree, "but not everyone came out in one piece," she reminded him, looking down at his blood-stained shirt as she said this.

"It's just a scratch," Merlin assured her when he saw what she was referring to. "I'll be fine, it's Arthur you need to take care of," he nodded towards the still Prince.

"Just as long as you're OK," Feu murmured, taking Merlin's hands in hers and reaching up to kiss him. Merlin kissed her back.

"I'll see you back in Camelot," he told her.

Feu nodded, "I don't know how long we'll be, but I'll be as quick as I can. Take the horse, I think it will be better if Arthur walks."

Merlin agreed, and within a minute he was on the horse, riding towards Camelot and Feu turned back to Arthur.

This was the real reason why Feu had decided to let Merlin go ahead onto Camelot, she could see something in Arthur's eyes other than pain, it was confusion and doubt. She had a strong feeling what it might be about, so she knew she needed to talk to him in private.

Arthur wondered if perhaps he had passed out again for a few moments while he waited for Merlin and Feu to finish their discussion. The next thing he knew was that Merlin had disappeared and Feu was suddenly beside him again, holding a handful of broad leaves that had come from the tree.

"Where's Merlin?" Arthur asked, his voice unusually quiet.

"Gone on ahead to get help," Feu explained, focusing on Arthur's shoulder. She was relieved to see that the wound wasn't as deep as she had first thought, but it was still bleeding and Feu doubted if Arthur would be able to use his shoulder for a while. "How are you feeling?" She asked, knowing the answer.

Arthur grunted, "I've been better," he told her, his brow creased slightly in confusion as he watched Feu place the leaves on his shoulder, he winced at the slight pressure she placed upon the wound. "What are you doing?" He asked.

"Improvising," Feu admitted. "We've got no bandages, but I need something to stop the blood flow. I used to do this all the time when I lived alone."

"Are you sure it works?"

Feu shrugged, "it's all we really have."

There were a few minutes of silence as Arthur tried to focus on anything but the pain that was thudding through his shoulder and lower arm as Feu wrapped the make-shift bandages around his shoulder.

The silence was only broken when Feu grew annoyed of Arthur staring at her.

"What?" She demanded, unable to hide her irritation. "Are you ashamed of me because of what I did? It was self defence Arthur, I was trying to save all our lives, and Samar deserved it. Don't judge me," she snapped at him.

Arthur shook his head; "no it's not that…you've still got a bit of Samar's blood on your face."

"Oh," mumbled Feu, quickly rubbing at her face. "Sorry," she paused. "But there's something else as well." She said suddenly.

"What?"

"Something else that's on your mind," Feu persisted.

"It's been a long night Feu, I have plenty of things on my mind, mainly about how I'm going to explain to everyone how I got a dagger in my shoulder."

"I didn't mean that," Feu said firmly but gently at the same time. "Something else is on your mind."

Arthur hesitated, "there is something," he said slowly. "Something that Samar said."

"You shouldn't listen to anything that creature said," Feu said quickly, but she could see from Arthur's face it was going to take a little more persuading.

"I know, but it was something he said about secrets," Arthur continued.

"What did he say?" Feu tried to sound casual.

"About Merlin keeping a secret from me," Arthur explained, looking down at the ground as he spoke. "I know it sounds stupid, but I thought he didn't keep secrets from me at all, and I have a feeling I know what the secret is." Arthur paused, looking up again at Feu, who had stopped tending to his shoulder and was now staring at him, "but it sounds impossible." Arthur added with a shake of his head that simply brought another wave of pain through his shoulder.

"Go on," Feu encouraged, but she feared the answer. "Tell me what you think the secret is."

"Would I be insane to think…to think that Merlin has magic?"

Feu froze for a few moments, she stared into Arthur's eyes as if she was trying to look inside him to try and work out what he really thought about his idea that Merlin may possess magic. "I'm afraid Arthur I have to disagree—" she began.

"But it makes sense!" Arthur persisted, "I know it sounds insane, but it explains things, things I haven't been able to find an explanation for before. And then in the forest something happened…something magical, and Samar suddenly wanted me to know some secret that Merlin was hiding from me—"

"Arthur," Feu interrupted suddenly, afraid of him continuing. "I'm afraid to say that I think you're wrong. If Merlin had magic I would know, I think you're just jumping to conclusions."

But it seemed Arthur wasn't going to give up, he shook his head again. "Now I think about it, I feel that I've considered it before, but I've never really admitted it to anyone, not even myself, because I know the consequences of what happens to someone who has magic, and I couldn't see that happen to a friend."

Feu sighed, "Arthur," she said a little more gently. "If this is really true, just think of how life-changing, how damaging this could be, not just for Merlin, but for everyone else who knows him. Your father hates magic and so do you, perhaps not as much as Uther," she added quickly as Arthur opened his mouth to argue "but you still fear it. You've had a long night, and you've lost a lot of blood, don't you think that perhaps you a little delirious at the time? It's perfectly understandable, given the consequences."

Arthur said nothing, he had a feeling Feu was right.

"Just sleep on it," Feu continued kindly, "let's focus on things one step at a time, like sorting out this wound and getting back to Camelot."

After a slight pause Arthur nodded, and Feu knew she had managed to convince him. She held back a sigh, she didn't want to lie to him, but to protect Merlin, she had to. In time, Arthur would be ready to learn.

Neither of them spoke any more after that, Feu concentrated on the wound, glad of the silence as she was afraid that any more that Arthur said might be filled with more doubt. After a few more minutes the bleeding had stopped and Feu was satisfied. Arthur looked exhausted, but he claimed he was well enough to walk and thanked Feu for all that she had done.

The two of them set off to Camelot again; Feu kept Arthur's mind off the pain in his shoulder by talking about anything and everything, just as long as it wasn't connected to magic. Arthur seemed grateful for the distraction and the help she gave him whenever he stumbled on the rough ground.

Dawn had just broken by the time the two of them reached Camelot.


	19. Chapter 19

_Not very happy with this chapter, but that's mainly because I had trouble writing it :S It is a bit of a short chapter, and a bit boring, and some people might not like it as it continues part of the plot that people weren't keen on, but I had an image of this chapter in my head for ages, so I don't want to skip it. Hope it'll be all right (:_

Chapter 19

Gwen had just finished making Morgana's bed and was turning to leave, when she saw Arthur in the doorway. He looked slightly pale and unwell, not quite his usual self and his arm was in a sling, but Gwen was pleased to see him.

"Hello Arthur," she said perhaps a little too cheerily, forgetting for few moments that even though they were friends, she was nothing but a servant and he was a Prince. Arthur however, seemed happy to have such a warm greeting.

"Hello Gwen," he replied, smiling.

"Haven't seen you in a while," Gwen continued, moving around Morgana's pillows so she had an excuse to stay in the room and talk to Arthur.

Arthur shrugged, or at least he tried to, "I've been busy," he explained.

It had been a few days since the fight with Samar. As soon as Feu and Arthur had got back to Camelot Gaius sorted Arthur's shoulder, and instructed him to stay in bed for a little while until he felt more like himself. Gaius wasn't pleased when he saw the state Arthur, Feu and Merlin had come back in, and he certainly wasn't pleased that they didn't tell him why they were all bleeding in one place or another.

No one had questioned what happened to Samar, as if he never really existed, they all assumed he had left the City early and everyone carried on as normal. Only Morgana seemed different, she was more irritated and didn't speak to anyone much, as if she was worried about something.

"What happened to your arm?" Gwen asked, nodding at the sling.

"Oh," Arthur shifted a little, as if he was uncomfortable about talking about it. "I got into a bit of a fight, that's all."

"A fight?" Gwen repeated, surprised, it didn't seem like a small fight either.

Arthur nodded, "but it's nothing, I'll be fine."

Gwen wished she could believe him, but she didn't like how pale he looked and how he seemed reluctant to talk about something that had happened. Gaius was a good physician however, and whatever was wrong, he was sure to fix it.

"Are you sure you'll be all right Arthur?" Gwen asked, knowing what answer Arthur was probably going to give, but she couldn't help asking.

Arthur nodded again, "it's nothing. I've has worse, and it could have been a lot worse."

There was something in Arthur's tone as he said this that Gwen didn't like, but she didn't want to ask him any more about the fight, it was clear there was nothing else he wanted to say. Gwen tried to think of something that will change the subject; she didn't like the silence she suddenly found herself in, but it was in fact Arthur who broke the uncomfortable silence.

"You seem to be getting along well with Feu," he commented.

Gwen smiled, "yes, she's a nice person." She wondered for a few moments why Arthur had said this, but assumed he had probably seen her talking to Feu a lot in the past. Gwen seemed to be the only one Feu talked to, other than Arthur and Merlin. Perhaps it was because Gwen was one of only few people Feu felt she could fully trust. "We get along well," she added.

"I see you spend a lot of time with her," Arthur continued.

"There's nothing wrong with that," Gwen said a little stiffly, slowly becoming more suspicious of why they were suddenly on the subject of Feu.

"I didn't say there was," Arthur said quickly, "I was just wondering." He paused, as if he was thinking of an excuse. "I just feel like she hasn't been herself recently."

Gwen thought for a few moments, "yes, you're right. She seems quite tired at the moment, which isn't like her."

"And she says she's feeling ill, but then insists that she's fine," Arthur added. He wondered if it had something to do with the fight, had she been injured in some way? But he didn't think it was that, the symptoms didn't seem right and if she was injured she would tell someone.

Gwen shrugged, "I'm sure it's nothing." She paused, "I suppose you get along well with Feu," she commented.

"No," Arthur couldn't help but laugh at this as he shook his head. "Definitely not, sometimes we do, but other times we end up trying to kill each other!"

Gwen was surprised, she had assumed that Arthur would spend a lot of time with Feu and get along with her, as she spent a lot of time with Merlin and he was the one asking about her. Gwen wasn't sure why they were still on the subject of Feu, she was just considering changing the subject, but Arthur hadn't finished yet.

"Which doesn't make sense," he sighed.

"What doesn't make sense?"

Arthur paused; he seemed to find it hard to phrase what he was thinking. When he did speak, his sentences were disjointed, probably just as his thoughts were. "I'm not sure. I suppose it's the way, me and Feu are with each other. One moment we're fine, and the next moment we're on the brink of having a serious fight."

"That's not very unusual I suppose." But then Gwen suddenly grew more concerned. "That's not how you got your injury was it?"

"No," Arthur said hurriedly, "not at all. But we've certainly come close to some pretty serious fights, and that makes me all the more confused…" He stopped suddenly in mid sentence, and looked up at Gwen. "Gwen, you're a friend, can I trust you?"

"Of course you can," Gwen said, but she didn't like where she thought this conversation was going.

"After I have an argument with Feu, I wonder why I thought about her in the way that I did, but when she's kind, when we get on well," Arthur thought of the other night when Feu had taken care of his shoulder as he said this. "And all of a sudden I remember, and the feeling comes back more than ever. And then I just get confused."

Gwen turned her back to Arthur suddenly, and gazed out the window to the quiet Castle grounds beneath her. She had a strong feeling what Arthur was going to say next, but she really didn't want to hear it. "What sort of feeling?" She tried to keep her tone kind and curious, but couldn't help a pinch of bitterness slipping through her wall of secrets.

"I think I have…feelings for Feu, strong feelings. Feelings that I hoped I didn't really have, but feelings that I can't deny any more." Arthur told her.

Gwen said nothing; she knew exactly what Arthur meant when he said 'feelings'.

Arthur began pacing up and down, the restlessness that had been occurring in his mind now clear in his movements. "And yet it's so wrong," he continued with a shake of the head. "I shouldn't have these feelings because I can't have these feelings. Feu's with Merlin, and that's where she always will be, and I know that because they care for each other so much and that's where she deserves to be."

Gwen was surprised by how much emotion and feeling Arthur had that she thought he didn't; she didn't think him as the type of person who would have such emotion. But still she said nothing.

Suddenly Arthur turned back to Gwen. "Have you ever had feelings for someone you know you shouldn't have?" He asked.

"No," Gwen lied, "I can't say that I have."

Every word that she mumbled, every word that she heard Arthur said, now seemed to tear at her heart.

"I know it's stupid," Arthur continued, unaware of the pain Gwen was going through. "And I know nothing's going to happen, but I can't stop these feelings I have for Feu. She's such a good person, she's strong and independent and beautiful. Do you understand why this is causing me so much trouble?" He asked, his tone worried as if now he wondered if he had come to the right person.

After a short pause, Gwen nodded slowly.

"Really?" Arthur sounded surprised.

"Yes I understand Arthur," Gwen said in a quiet voice. "You can't help the things you feel, even though you know that there is no hope for you and that other person for the future."

"What do you think I should do?" Arthur asked.

Gwen shrugged, "I haven't worked that out myself yet," she mumbled under her breath.

There was a long silence, in which Gwen continued to stare out of the window. Her face was emotionless, because all along she knew that there would never be anything between her and Arthur other than friendship, but on the other hand she felt devastated, broken hearted, angry even. Of all the people Arthur could talk about with his feelings, he had to choose her! Why? Why did she deserve this? She knew nothing could happen between her and a Prince, but at the same time she knew there was a small glimmer of hope inside of her that things might change, but now it had died.

Suddenly Arthur said something that told Gwen whatever was going through her head; she didn't and couldn't change anything.

"Thanks Gwen," he said, "you're a good friend." And he turned and left, leaving Gwen alone.


	20. Chapter 20

_I'm afraid this might be my last update for a couple of days, as I have an A level Psychology exam. Believe me I would much rather be writing fanfic than panicking and stressing over this Psychology exam, but hey ho, wish me luck! (:_

_Anyway, enjoy the chapter, reviews have been a bit low recently ):_

Chapter 20

Morgana first saw Feu the day after the fight with Samar. She had assumed that the matter had been dealt with, that Feu was dead, as she hadn't seen Samar or Feu for a while. She thought that Samar had done his job and left, and Feu was rotting away somewhere deep in the forest. Morgana had wondered how Merlin would take it when he realised he would never see Feu again, and the thought made her smile cruelly.

She was in for a shock therefore, when she looked out her bedroom chamber window to see Merlin and Feu walk across the Castle grounds, talking happily as if nothing had happened. Seeing this filled Morgana with shock and anger. How could she be alive? With the colour completely drained from her face, Morgana rushed off to arrange another meeting with her sister.

This had been two days ago, and after seeing her sister again, Morgana was satisfied that the matter would, once again, soon be dealt with. What Morgana hadn't thought about was what would happen if she accidentally walked into Feu, which was exactly what she was about to do.

Morgana was strolling down the corridor, wearing her favourite blue dress that trailed around her feet as she walked, her high heels clicking against the stone floor. She looked down at her hands, thinking about how exactly she was going to get rid of Feu this time, and when she looked up again, she found herself staring right into the eyes of Feu.

Feu had been walking down the corridor in the opposite direction, and had been so deep in thought she hadn't even noticed Morgana until Morgana stopped dead in the middle of the corridor and stared at her. Feu felt just as surprised as Morgana looked at this encounter, but Morgana tried not reveal any anger that was now building up inside her. Feu might not know it was her who had requested her death.

"Hello," Morgana said with the friendliest smile she could muster. "It's Feu isn't it?"

Feu didn't respond, she just glared at Morgana.

Morgana didn't like the silence or the look Feu was giving her, but decided to take this opportunity to try to get away. With a small smile she began walking down the corridor again, only to find her way blocked by Feu.

"I know who you are," Feu said in a low voice, her eyes never leaving Morgana's.

"I am the King's ward, I imagine most people know who I am," Morgana replied, trying to remain calm and friendly.

Feu continued to glare, "No," she said harshly, "I know who you _really _are."

Morgana's face fell, but she pretended to be confused by this statement. "I don't understand what you mean," she said politely.

"There's no point trying to lie to me Morgana," Feu said between gritted teeth, "I know it was you who tried to kill me."

At first Morgana tried to remain confused and surprised, but then she gave up. A cruel smile grew on her lips and she raised her eyebrow. "Oh yes? And what are you going to do about that?" Morgana didn't even wait for an answer; she just turned and walked away.

But within seconds, Feu was standing in front of her again.

"Give you the same treatment I gave Samar," she growled.

This time Morgana was surprised, "Samar's dead?"

Feu nodded.

For a moments Morgana didn't say anything, she just stared at Feu, open mouthed, but then she shrugged. "Oh well, he was nothing but a stranger to me anyway." Once again, she tried to move away from Feu.

"What makes you think you're going to get away with this lightly Morgana?" Feu snapped, still standing in Morgana's way.

Morgana was irritated, she didn't realise how annoying this Feu was, but she simply smiled, "because I'm the King's ward, and you are nobody. The King probably doesn't even realise you exist. If you hurt me, you'll regret it forever."

"And what makes you think it wouldn't be the same the other way round?" Feu asked darkly. It was then that Morgana noticed a small scratch above Feu's eye, a sign that she had been in a fight with Samar.

But Morgana's cruel smile remained, "because if you died, no one would care." She said coolly.

This was the last straw for Feu, just as Samar did with her, she suddenly found her hand's around Morgana's throat, and with surprising strength thrust her up against the wall. It happened so fast Morgana didn't even have time to mutter a cry. She could feel Feu's fingers tightening around her neck; she could only just keep breathing. She gulped for air like a desperate fish out of water, looking up into Feu's narrow, suddenly green eyes with her startled and wide ones.

"I would be careful about what you say Lady Morgana," Feu hissed, showing razor-sharp fangs. "Because sometimes you don't know what the consequences may be." There was a pause, in which Feu not only looked angry, but a little sad. "Why did you want to hurt me Morgana?" She asked suddenly, "I had never done anything to you, I hadn't even met you, and suddenly you want me dead. Why?"

At first Morgana was scared by Feu's sudden reaction, but then her eyes seemed to turn as hard as stone. "Why should you be excepted into Camelot Feu, when it's obvious what you are? But if I confess that I have magic I will be executed, King's ward or not. You obviously don't realise how hard it is to live in a world like that." She said harshly.

This didn't take Feu by surprise, she could smell Morgana's magic, she could tell it was strong, dark and growing, but what surprised her was that Morgana assumed she was the only suffering because of her gifts. "A world where you're frightened because of what you are? A world where people discriminate you because of something you can't help? Yes Morgana, I've lived that life, I've experienced that world, but I do not channel my anger by killing other people, so why should you?"

Morgana said nothing, but the smile that flickered on her face told Feu that there was another reason. This smile made anger suddenly burn inside Feu, and she shook Morgana violently by the neck, making her fear for her life.

"What is it? Tell me!" Feu demanded.

"Merlin," was all Morgana said, trying not to show Feu how terrified she had felt for a few moments.

Feu looked confused, "Merlin? Why Merlin?" She asked without thinking.

"Because he tried to kill me!" Morgana spat, "I thought I was his friend, yet he didn't think twice about poisoning me, and he wasn't even sorry for it! I wanted to make him suffer the way I suffered, let him know what it's like to be so close to death!"

"So you were going to kill me because he tried to kill you?" Feu said slowly. She remembered Merlin confessing to her what he had done to Morgana, but she hadn't expected this would be the consequence.

Morgana nodded, her eyes showing no mercy.

"How could you be so selfish Morgana?" Feu said suddenly, stepping away from Morgana and finally releasing her grip on her throat. "Of course Merlin regretted having to poison you, but he had no choice! If it wasn't for him, everyone would have been killed! You have a choice, and yet it seems you've decided to use your powers for evil."

"After what happened to me, wouldn't you?" Morgana asked.

There was a pause, "no I wouldn't." Feu said coldly.

This wasn't the reply Morgana had wanted, but she didn't care about what Feu thought, the fact that she had hired Samar to kill someone she hardly knew showed how little she cared for Feu. Now Morgana's was free from Feu's grip, instead of immediately turning away and running down the corridor, which was what she had wanted to do, she stepped closer to Feu, almost standing on tip toes to make sure she was looming over her.

"This isn't over Feu." Morgana warned in a low voice.

At first Feu said nothing, so Morgana had assumed Feu had got the message. Satisfied with this threat, Morgana turned and was about to leave but suddenly Feu was blocking her way again, and her eyes were flashing green with anger.

"You better hope it is my Lady Morgana," Feu told her in a voice that was a mixture between a hiss and a growl. She kept her voice low just in case anyone heard, "because unlike there are people in my life who I am willing to do anything to protect, and you don't want to end up like Samar."

This statement worried Morgana, she didn't know exactly what had happened to Samar, but she believed Feu when she said that he was dead.

"You don't scare me," Morgana told Feu, her fear draining away as she said these words.

Feu's eyes flashed bright green again, "If you had any sense Morgana, you would." She said darkly.

And before Morgana could say anything else, Feu turned and walked away from her, disappearing from out of sight round the corridor, leaving Morgana alone and silent.

The words that Feu had said did scare Morgana, there was no point denying it. But over the years she had seen people suffering because of their magic, and the time she had spent with her sister, her heart was turning more and more to stone, and she was slowly loosing the ability to care. Suddenly Morgana decided that she didn't care what the consequences might be, whatever threat Feu gave her, this wasn't over. She turned and stormed off to her chamber.

After a few minutes of walking around the Castle corridors alone, fuming with anger, Feu almost bumped into Arthur. He too was deep in thought and concerned about something, but he beamed when he saw Feu.

"Feu!" Arthur exclaimed, surprised to suddenly come across the person he had just been looking for.

"Hello Arthur," Feu mumbled, she couldn't help but sound grumpy and miserable.

"What's the matter?" Arthur asked.

Feu shrugged, "Nothing, don't worry about it, what's the matter with you?"

Arthur's smile disappeared as he remembered why he was looking for Feu. "Someone's come to Camelot Feu, I think they're magical, but all she says is that she wants to see you."

"Who?" Feu's eyes narrowed with confusion.

"She simply calls herself the Seer."


	21. Chapter 21

_A bit of a short chapter, but hopefully a nice twist at the end to make up for it! Some of you might know/have worked out what the 'twist' is, but I'll be interested to know what you think of it anyway (:_

_Would just like to say a few words that my thoughts go out to the people affected by the floods in Australia. I've been to Australia, it's such an awesome country and to hear about the floods is really sad. I hope that if you know anyone who is affected by the floods, they are safe x_

Chapter 21

The Seer's tent was only small, and yet its presence was huge. It sat in the middle of the street, only a hundred yards or so away from the Castle grounds, if it wasn't impossible to not notice already, it was also a bright red colour. The tent was made of a soft material only the rich would be able to get their hands on.

The tent had appeared suddenly and out of nowhere in the middle of the night, and when guards went to investigate it, all they found was a strange, old woman waiting patiently inside, asking for one person and no one else: Feu.

Naturally, Uther was worried and immediately suspected magic. But as soon as Arthur heard that the Seer wanted Feu, he knew it probably was something important, so he persuaded his father that there was no proof that the old woman really was magical, and to let her stay for a while. Uther didn't question the Seer's appearance any more, satisfied by the fact that by the end of the week she and the strange tent would be gone.

Feu stood before this strange tent now, her nervous hand held in Merlin's. She didn't know what the Seer might have waiting for her in the tent, so she was glad Merlin was there. Merlin had no idea at all what made Feu so nervous about this tent, but he could tell that something was wrong, and wanted to help.

"Do you want me to come in with you?" He asked quietly as they stepped closer to the red tent.

There were a few people around the tent, looking curiously at it and wondering what it might be. Some people watched Feu and Merlin with slightly suspicious eyes. Feu ignored them as best she could, and shook her head.

"Whatever the Seer wants me for, it's my problem," Feu explained, smiling weakly. "She's quite private, I don't think she would let anyone else know what's on her mind, especially if it's just about me."

Merlin nodded in understanding, but he was beginning to feel worried. What would the Seer want with Feu? He had a feeling this was the same person who told Feu that she would give her life to save Camelot, and yet she was still living.

Slowly letting go of Merlin's hand, Feu stepped towards the tent. She felt several pairs of eyes watching her, but focused on entering the tent and what secrets might be lying in there for her. Merlin continued to watch the entrance of the tent even when Feu had disappeared behind the red flaps.

Feu entered the tent; it was warmer in there than outside. She was slightly reminded of the cave that she had walked in to see the Seer so long ago. The same incense filled her nostrils, and the same bright candles flickered around her. The same colourful cloths from all over the world were draped around the tent, and the same round table with two chairs was set in the middle.

The Seer sat on the opposite side of the round table, waiting for her. She looked exactly the same as Feu remembered her, the same wrinkles and strange tattoos on her face, the same long grey hair. But there was something different. The Seer was a kind woman, few liked her because of the futures that she predicted, but she was a nice person. Today however there was something in her eyes that Feu did not like one bit, and she could smell it through the air over the incense. The Seer was angry, so angry it seemed to have turned to hatred.

It was a few moments before the Seer said anything; she and Feu just stared at each other. Eventually the Seer nodded towards the unoccupied chair.

"Sit," she ordered, a little harshly for Feu's liking.

Feu still said nothing, but she obeyed the Seer and sat in the chair. The Seer sat back in her chair and stared at Feu with narrow eyes.

"Hello," Feu said eventually, hating the silence that filled the tent.

"Why are you here?" The Seer demanded suddenly, leaning forward in her chair and making Feu jump.

"I was about to ask you the same question," Feu retaliated; she didn't care how rude she sounded.

"Last time I saw you I thought it would be the last time I saw you." The Seer hissed, "I predicted your death Feu, right here in Camelot, and yet you still live!"

Feu was annoyed by this and slightly insulted, "I thought you would be pleased that I'm still alive," she snapped, glaring at the Seer.

The Seer sighed, "I should be, I was, but I have never predicted something wrong before you Feu. So why should it happen to you?"

Feu shrugged, "I suppose you didn't consider what was going to happen between the journey from the caves to Camelot."

"What do you mean?" The Seer asked.

Feu didn't say anything; she just smiled and turned around to see Merlin's face just through the entrance of the tent, waiting patiently for her.

The Seer saw what Feu was looking at, and it didn't take long for her to realise what she meant. Her mouth fell open.

"Merlin?"

Feu smiled again, "it seems that you didn't realise love can be more powerful even than death."

The Seer couldn't wipe the shocked expression of her face, which amused Feu a little.

"His loves kept me living," Feu continued.

However the Seer didn't seem very impressed; "do you know the significance Merlin has? Not just for Camelot, but for the whole of Albion!" She demanded.

Feu looked at the Seer blankly, "I would if I knew what an Albion was," she admitted.

The Seer shook her head and sighed sadly. She thought Feu wasn't one of those girls foolish enough to fall in love, but it seemed everyone was prone to such a weakness. The Seer was too, she had fallen in love, but that was a long time ago. Not long enough to forget though…

"But why are you here now?" Feu asked suddenly, it was her turn to lean forward and look suspicious. "Surely you would have known that I had not died, but that was so long ago, why do you come and see me now?"

"I wanted to see if you were finally dead," the Seer grunted.

"Samar."

"I saw him just before he came to Camelot," the Seer explained. "He could sense that change was coming, that he was needed, and the need would aid his revenge on an old enemy. I knew he meant you, and I warned him that he might not survive. But he laughed at me," the Seer snorted. "He told me I had got your death wrong so he wasn't going to die either, but I did not warn him of his death, I predicted it. I had to come and see if perhaps I had got another prediction wrong."

Feu nodded, she hated the fact that the Seer seemed so uncaring. She seemed to care about nothing apart from if her predictions were correct. Feu had never thought the woman to be selfish, but here she was, fuming because a young woman didn't die when she told her to. This annoyed Feu, made her angry even, but somehow she understood. A job predicting poor fortunes and death, must make it impossible to make friends, and maybe the Seer did care, but if she saw caring as a sign of weakness, she would not admit it.

Feu was about to open her mouth and say something, when suddenly the Seer sat bolt up right and stared at her with a mixture of shock and horror on her face.

"What?" Asked Feu, worried.

"You," the Seer snarled, her eyes suddenly burning with anger. "You dirty bitch, you little whore!"

"What!" Feu repeated, fearing the look in the Seer's eyes and the words she suddenly spat at her.

"What have you been doing while I've been away?" The Seer demanded, the volume of her voice raising at every word she said.

"Seer I don't know what you're talking about," Feu said harshly.

"Can't you smell it yet?" The Seer sneered.

Feu looked at her blankly.

"You're pregnant."

The colour suddenly drained from Feu's face. She leapt up, knocking the chair from the ground, but she didn't even notice. She just stared at the Seer, her eyes wide with disbelief and fear. She began to back away slowly, shaking her head in denial, but Seer's stern face knew the truth, and she knew that this time there was no mistake. She was with child.

For the second time in a row since Feu had met with the Seer, she turned around and ran.


	22. Chapter 22

_Gee, the chapters just seem to be getting shorter and shorter! Maybe it's because the story is almost coming to an end…did I just say that? :O Woops!_

_Only one review for the last chapter ):_

Chapter 22

Morgana strode into the Great Hall, she had seen Feu walk into the red tent that had suddenly appeared in the City, and knew this was her perfect chance to strike. She remembered clearly what Morgause had told her to do, and was adamant that it would work.

Uther looked up and beamed when he saw Morgana enter the Great Hall. Morgana's face was serious, but she tried to smile kindly as she went up to her King. He was sitting at the same throne he always sat at, Arthur by his side. They had been discussing something, but as soon as Morgana entered the room the King's thoughts were immediately distracted.

"Morgana," Uther said gently, "what can I do for you?"

Morgana gave the sweetest smile she could and gave a small curtsey to the King. She needed to flatter him as much as she could, but time was running short.

"Forgive me for interrupting you my Lord," she began.

"There is nothing to forgive," Uther told her kindly but firmly, Arthur and whatever subject they had been discussing suddenly forgotten. "Is there something troubling you?"

"I'm afraid there is," Morgana said slowly. As soon as she said this, Uther sat up straight and looked concerned. "There is someone in Camelot who is causing me worry."

Uther felt a little confused, he was not aware that there was anyone in Camelot at the moment that might be a danger, "who?" He asked.

Morgana smiled innocently and then quickly replaced it with fake fear, face falling and eyelids fluttering, her voice almost a stammer. "Well, perhaps you don't know about her Sire. But that makes things all the more worrying—"

"Morgana, please tell me what's on your mind," Uther told her.

"There's a young woman in Camelot, I think she's called Feu," Morgana began.

As soon as Morgana said this, Arthur's attention was immediately drawn to Morgana. His eyes grew wide and he became very worried. What had whatever Morgana was saying got to do with Feu? How was Feu a worry? But he said nothing, and Morgana was unaware of what was suddenly running through the young Prince's mind.

"Feu?" Uther repeated, "I recognise that name, who is she?"

"A magical creature my Lord, and I fear also a dangerous one."

Uther was now deep in thought, "Feu, Feu," he muttered over and over again. "Was she not the creature that came to get rid of the Opinicus?" He asked.

Arthur gritted his teeth, he hated how they kept on calling her a creature, they didn't even know her, who were they to judge? He wasn't even aware that Morgana knew about Feu at all, but still he said nothing.

"So I am told my Lord," Morgana said sweetly.

"I assumed she had been killed," Uther murmured.

"Indeed not my Lord," Morgana told him. "She is very much alive, and is causing me great worry."

"I'm sure there is nothing to fear," Arthur put in quickly, he was feeling terribly uneasy about where this was going. "Feu is harmless."

Uther glared up at his son, "you knew she was still alive?" He said darkly.

Arthur shrugged, "I thought you knew Sire." He lied, "she's not anyone to worry about, she is just like an average citizen. You did promise her a home in Camelot if she destroyed the beast," he continued before Morgana said anything more.

"Be that as it may," Morgana said harshly before Arthur could continue. She glared up at him, why was he standing up for this creature? "I think that she will do no good for Camelot."

Arthur opened his mouth to argue Feu's defence, but Uther interrupted him. "Why is that Morgana?"

Morgana pretended to shiver. "I know what terrible things people with magic can do to this Kingdom my Lord, and when I saw Feu in the Castle I tried to talk to her, and then she started to threaten me. I was afraid." Morgana pretended to sound very upset at this so the King's sympathy would grow.

"Well there is no need for any of that, and she was in the Castle?" Uther said worryingly.

Arthur was about to say something about Feu never being horrible to anyone unless they deserved it, but Morgana knew he was about to start arguing against her.

"But that's not all," she said quickly.

"Oh?" Uther raised an eyebrow, Arthur remained silent and confused.

"From what I have heard Sire," Morgana continued calmly, thinking carefully about everything Morgause had told her. "Feu is a Doe, and once a creature called a Doe came near Camelot. They say she was looking for food, but she was a great danger to Camelot so you decided—"

"I decided to have her killed," Uther finished for Morgana.

Suddenly, memories from so long ago were flooding back to Uther, memories of a time when he was purging Camelot of every magical being in the Kingdom. He wondered why he had not made the connection sooner.

Uther had been part of the killing himself; he had been part of the group of soldiers that had come across the woman, the Doe. Fearing the sight of the soldiers, the woman's teeth suddenly grew and her eyes changed colour. Uther immediately knew this was the work of magic, he feared the sight of her fangs so he ordered her death. The creature tried to run, but she was tired and Uther soon caught up with her and cornered her. He remembered clearly the moment he had jumped down from his horse, sword in hand.

Then the creature did something Uther was not expecting. She began to beg, she begged for a life. She said she had a child that she needed to look after, if she died so would the child. But this was no excuse Uther; in fact it was another reason to kill the creature. He drove his sword into her heart.

As the memories became clearer, colour drained from Uther's face.

The creature was the same type of magical being as Feu was, and she looked exactly like her, the same hair, the same eyes…

"My Lord?" Morgana's sweet voice brought him back from his memories. "What is it my Lord? Is something wrong?"

"Oh what have I done," Uther murmured, his mouth hung and open and his eyes were wide and staring off into the distance.

"Father?" Arthur said worriedly, "what is it?"

"Of course," Uther whispered, "Morgana's right. She is a danger to us, and it will only be a matter of time before she has her revenge on Camelot—"

"I don't understand," Arthur said almost desperately, "why would Feu want to have revenge on Camelot?"

There was a short pause before Uther spoke.

"Because I killed her mother."

Morgana kept her face serious, but her eyes glittered with cruelty and glee. This was exactly what she wanted Uther to realise, now he knew this, there was no way he would allow Feu to stay in Camelot.

Arthur's eyes in the meantime were filled with shock and horror. "No, father you must be mistaken—"

"There is no mistake!" Uther spat angrily, thudding his fist on his knee. "We cannot risk having her still in Camelot. We have to have her destroyed."

Morgana tried very hard not to laugh as Uther gave his son instructions to have Feu hunted down and slaughtered. But Arthur wasn't going to obey his father so quickly.

"My Lord surely you think that's a rather drastic option? We can't be sure that Feu is the daughter of this woman you murdered, she isn't doing any harm—"

"Well according to Morgana she is," Uther said between gritted teeth, fist clenching at the sound of his son disobeying his orders.

"But—"

"Do not defy me!" Uther yelled suddenly, even Morgana jumped. "I want her dead Arthur before any more damage is done to this Kingdom, and I want you to do it. Now."

Arthur hesitated for a few moments, he knew he wouldn't be able to persuade his father out of his decision, but he couldn't kill Feu...

"Do it now or I'll have you locked up for disobeying me and I'll make sure the soldiers do it myself," Uther growled.

With that, Arthur had no choice. He swiftly left the room, not looking back at his angry and anxious father, and Morgana's smirking face.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Feu paced up and down in Merlin's chamber. She had run from the Seer to here and had not stopped moving yet. Merlin had wanted to know why she was running, but she simply shouted over her shoulder that she needed privacy, she needed to be alone. She didn't say it was because her world had just fallen apart.

Feu didn't know how long she had been pacing, but it seemed that would never stop, her mind raced constantly.

Pregnant? She refused to believe it, how could she be pregnant? Well, of course she knew perfectly well how she had got pregnant, but when did this happen? How long had she been with a child? Why did it have to happen to her?

Feu felt so foolish, she had never thought for one moment that she might get pregnant. She had felt the symptoms, but she hadn't considered that she was perhaps pregnant. But it all made sense, that was the reason why she had been feeling so ill, why she hadn't been feeling herself, why she had been so tired.

How was she going to tell Merlin?

For a few moments, Feu's confusion suddenly turned into panic. She couldn't have a child, she wasn't ready! Merlin probably wasn't ready to be a father either, how could they look after a child! Feu had never really considered if she wanted to be a mother, she just told herself she was still too young, and if she did, she didn't want it to be brought up in the same lonely, discriminated world that Feu had faced.

Suddenly a thought came to Feu. There were ways of getting rid of a baby before it was born. If she hadn't left it too late, there must be a potion Gaius could give her, or a magic spell.

But could she kill her own child? Could she kill Merlin's child?

No.

It was actually a miracle that the baby was still alive, Feu knew she must have been pregnant before Samar had come along. Feu wondered if Samar could actually smell it, or perhaps had been too soon. But if Feu had gone through the fight with Samar, so had the baby, she had had many nasty falls that could have killed the baby. And yet it was still living.

After all the baby had been through, and it hadn't even been born yet, Feu knew she couldn't kill it, it wasn't fair.

She could smell it now; a faint smell but fresh like a newly grown flower. New life.

Feu gently rubbed her stomach, and smiled. She was scared, she had never felt so scared in all her life, but at the same time, she was happy. There was a new emotion that trickled through her veins; the very words Feu thought bringing her joy she had never felt before.

_I'm going to be a mother._

This still didn't solve the case of how Feu was going to tell Merlin though, or how Merlin was going to take the news. How would everyone else take the news, she was going to have to tell everyone at some point, but how?

Just then, the door to the chamber swung open and someone ran in. Feu turned expecting to see Merlin, but found herself facing a breathless Arthur instead.

"Arthur," Feu couldn't help but sound surprised, "what are you doing here?" She asked. She could tell that there was something very wrong

It was a few moments before Arthur replied, he had just ran all the way from the Great Hall to the red tent, to find the red tent had already disappeared, and then to Merlin's chambers. After a few deep breaths, he managed to choke out some words.

"I'm sorry Feu there was nothing I could do," he panted.

"What are you talking about?" Feu was confused.

"My father, Uther. He ordered me to gather soldiers and look for you. He wanted me to find you and then…" Arthur couldn't help but hesitate, he hated the words that were just about to come out of his mouth. "And then kill you."

At first, Feu didn't do anything but stare with complete horror and confusion at Arthur. "Why?" She managed to say.

"Because…" Once again Arthur stopped, and realised he couldn't tell her. "I don't know."

"Arthur tell me why Uther wants me dead," Feu said sternly.

"Because he killed your mother."

This was the last thing Feu had been expecting. She felt a tear coming to her eye, she felt that all this news coming at once had got too much.

"What?" Was all Feu found she could say in a small, timid voice.

"I'm sorry Feu, truly I am, but there was nothing I could do. I've sent the soldiers looking for you in all the wrong places so I could come and find you and warn you. You have to hide somewhere until Uther calls off the search—"

But Feu was no longer listening, because she had just realised something.

There was no way she would be able to stay in Camelot.

Arthur may say that Uther would give up the search, but even Feu knew that he wouldn't do that, he wasn't that type of person. Uther's hatred and fear would drive him to have the whole Kingdom searched. Feu briefly wondered who had told Uther that she was still alive, and how he had discovered the fact that he had killed her mother. The answer was obvious, only one person wanted her dead now, and that was Morgana.

A sudden wave of anger engulfed Feu. Could she ever be happy? Could things ever go right for once? It seemed that the whole was against her, her and her child.

If her mother could bring up a child alone in the forest, then she could she.

"Don't worry about it Arthur," Feu interrupted suddenly. "It's going to be all right."

"No it is not going to be all right!" Arthur snapped back. He couldn't understand why Feu was still standing here staring into the distance, was she not listening to him? "You have to find somewhere to hide, just for a few days."

"This won't pass in a few days." Feu's voice was strangely monotonous.

Feu knew she couldn't stay in Camelot any more. Even if Uther didn't hunt her down, Morgana would probably just find someone else to kill her, and if she died, so would her child. If Feu had a baby, they wouldn't show her any mercy.

"Yes it will!" Arthur argued.

Feu shook her head sadly; "no it won't Arthur. You know it won't."

"What are you going to do then?" Arthur asked.

"I'll have to go away."

Arthur was surprised by this response, he knew Feu meant that she would have to leave Camelot, but surely there was an easier way. He had been trying to avoid this option for as long as possible. Merlin never forgive him; he would never forgive himself. "For how long?"

"For a very long time." Feu's voice was full of sadness, but at the same time her tone told Arthur that she had made her choice, and there was no going back. "I've done enough damage here Arthur, I think it would be best if I just ran away and didn't come back."

Arthur was horror-struck. "You can't—"

But Feu had already made her decision; she went over to one of Gaius' benches and picked up a small leather bag. She then began filling it with food, water, medicine (she hoped Gaius wouldn't mind) and all the other essentials she needed for her journey.

"Where are you going to go?" Arthur's voice was barely above a whisper.

"I'm not sure yet," Feu admitted. "But there are lots of forests around, I can stay there and move around whenever it is necessary. I'm used to living alone in the forests, I'll be able to cope just fine." _And in a few months, I won't be living alone_ a small voice added. This thought filled Feu both with panic and with joy, but she said nothing.

"Feu you're over reacting, you can't go." Arthur tried to tell her, but he wasn't sure what to say.

Feu smiled sweetly up at him. "I'm afraid I must. I can't stay here, I think I'll always have enemies here. First Samar, then Morgana, now Uther—"

"Hold on, what has Morgana done?" Arthur asked.

"It's a long story," Feu said hurriedly. She had no time to go into details, and if Arthur didn't believe her they might end up having another argument. "I've done enough trouble here Arthur, it's not right for me to stay."

Arthur opened his mouth to argue, but then he stopped himself. He knew that Feu had already made her decision, and there was nothing he could say to make her change her mind. "What am I going to tell Merlin?" He asked finally in a murmur.

Feu stopped packing and looked up at Arthur. "I…You'll know what to say to him," she told him sadly. Then Feu did something Arthur wasn't expecting. She turned and kissed him on the cheek. "I can't tell you, I don't want to break your heart."

Arthur stared; did she really know how he felt about her? No she couldn't…could she? He couldn't ask, because then she would definitely know, and yet he had to say something.

But time was running out for anything to be said. The chamber was silent, but outside there were the shouts of soldiers, coming closer and closer. Feu turned to leave, and Arthur couldn't help but blurt out:

"But wait, what am I—" he stopped himself quickly as Feu turned and looked at him. He hoped that she didn't know what he had almost said, but the look in her eyes told him that she probably knew everything. He cleared his throat, "what is Merlin going to do without you?" He corrected himself.

Feu paused; she knew perfectly well what Arthur had almost said, so was going to give him the answer that he needed to hear, not what he wanted to hear. "Gwen's nice."

And without another word, she disappeared from the chamber.

Arthur stood silently in the middle of the chamber. He couldn't quite believe what had just happened. Feu was gone.

Something inside him told him it was all his fault, if he had said something to his father, if he hadn't told Feu, maybe she would still be here. Now she was gone, would she ever returned?

He hated to think what Merlin was going to say.

Just then, there was a noise at the entrance to the chamber. Arthur looked up to see Merlin standing there, looking worried.

"Where's Feu? I heard some soldiers were looking for her, is she all right?" He asked.

"I'm sorry Merlin," Arthur said, "Feu's gone."

"Gone? Where?"

Arthur shrugged hopelessly, "somewhere, anywhere. She just left, I warned her that the soldiers were after her and she had to hide, but she decided to leave instead. There was nothing I could do to stop her, she just…went." He stopped, he couldn't think what else to say.

Silence filled the chamber. Arthur hated to think how Merlin felt inside, for he looked broken hearted. He hung his head, his eyes wide with disbelief and sadness, but at the same time understanding, acceptance that this had happened. Arthur wanted to say something, but what could anyone say in a situation like this?

"She loves you Merlin," Arthur suddenly found himself saying, a little harshly. "Always has, always well."

Merlin nodded, "yes I know. But I'm going to miss her too Arthur, more than anything else in the world."

Arthur nodded in understanding. He felt like he wanted to agree, he was going to miss her terribly as well, but Merlin didn't know how he felt. But now there was something else on Arthur's mind, Feu's sweet voice running through his head, the last words she said to him before she left; _Gwen's nice._

She had a point, Gwen was nice.

Merlin felt more devastated than he looked. He didn't know how he was going to carry on without Feu. All the times he had almost lost her, and now she had disappeared. But he knew he had to be strong, because nothing was going to change the fact that Feu had gone away.

But Merlin knew he would wait for her, because one day, Feu will return. For that he was sure of.

**THE END**

_That's right people, that's the end! A little sudden, I must admit, but that doesn't mean it's really the last time we'll see Feu…_

_Yes, I've done it again, left it open for another sequel (rolls eyes) but a sequel I hope there will be! (: Because Feu and Merlin have GOT to have a proper goodbye at some point, and let's not forget Feu's pregnant! I have to admit the sequel will be fairly short, but I've got an idea for it that I hope to write (:_

_If you're not fed up with me yet and interested in reading the sequel, as with the last one, please tell me, I want enough people to say they're going to read it, which I hope you understand (: _

_Just want to say a quick thanks to Brandibuckeye, Ncis-lady and Gina Frodo H for their regular reviews, you guys rock! :D Everyone else who reviewed…THANK YOU! :D_

_If I decide to do a sequel, I'll probably put the first chapter on the end of this story, so you'll know that I'm doing it (: I'll probably put it up at some point next weekend. While you're waiting don't forget that there's my little one-short with Merlin and Feu called the Softness of Snow and some facts about Feu on my profile if you're interested._

_Well I think that's it for now folks, I hope you enjoyed the story over all. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review (:_

_Thanks again!_

_Naisa_

_xxx_


	24. The Sound of Forgiveness

_Hi everyone!_

_There is now officially a sequel to The Taste of Revenge! It's called The Sound of Forgiveness (although it might change if I can think of a better name!) It takes place five years since the end of The Taste of Revenge._

_When I was typing the first chapter, I was thinking "hmm, shall I be nice and put the whole first chapter up on the end of Taste of Revenge, like I did with the last one, or shall I be mean and just put a snippet?"_

_Well I've had a bad weekend, so I decided to be mean! :D lol_

_So, here is a taster of The Sound of Forgiveness, I hope you are interested enough to keep on reading (:_

_Hope you enjoy!_

'You gave up the fight  
You left me behind  
All that's done's forgiven  
You'll always be mine  
I know deep inside  
All that's done's forgiven'

- Within Temptation, Forgiven.

Chapter 1

Dwyn heard the hoof beats stepping across the dirt-track road before her saw it. He smiled, showing black and missing teeth. He nodded at his men, each almost as scrawny and untrustworthy as he, and they hid themselves behind trees and bushes near by, waiting for the mysterious horse to come closer.

Dwyn waited around a small bend, he didn't need to worry how close he was by the roadside, he would see who was on the horse before they saw him. He pulled his knife out of his torn trouser pocket, just in case they faced any trouble. By the sound of it, there was only one horse, so it wouldn't be difficult for him and his six men to ambush and overpower whoever was on the horse.

After another minute or so, the horse finally came into view. It was a large white horse with a greying muzzle, it was not one that Dwyn had seen before, but he imagined a handsome stallion like that could fetch up a good price. But for the moment, he focused on the people riding the horse.

There were two people on the horse, both wearing cloaks and had their faces covered by hoods. The first person Dwyn could tell was a woman, she held the reins of the white horse in her hands, but she didn't direct it, as if there was no need to. She was wearing a dark blue cloak; another item Dwyn thought would make a good price on the market. The woman's hood was up, so Dwyn couldn't see her eyes, he could just see thin lips and slightly tanned skin. It looked like they had been travelling somewhere; that meant the woman must be rich. Dwyn licked his cracked lips, wondering how much money the woman might be carrying in her purse.

What surprised Dwyn most about this sight though, was that the second person, wasn't even a person, it was a child. The child was only small, and wore a dark green cloak; it kept its head buried in the woman's back, too scared to show the forest its face. Dwyn wasn't used to seeing what looked like a mother and child on one of these deserted, winding tracks. Perhaps they didn't know that such places were dangerous. Well, they were about to find out.


End file.
